January 8, 2019—John 15:9

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue you in my love.
– John 15:9

Thoughts on Today’s Bible Verse:

In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus came among man to do the work of redemption. During that time, He healed the sick and cast out demons, performed many signs and wonders, and gave man grace in abundance. In the end, He was nailed to the cross as a sin offering to redeem mankind from sin. So that we have the opportunity to come before God and enjoy His grace and blessings. This is God’s boundless love for us. Just as God says, “Jesus was the God who saved man. What He had and was was grace, love, compassion, forbearance, patience, humility, care, and tolerance, and so much of the work that He did was the redemption of man. As for His disposition, it was one of compassion and love, and because He was compassionate and loving, He had to be nailed to the cross for man, in order to show that God loved man as Himself, so much so that He offered up Himself in His entirety. Satan said, ‘Since You love man, You must then love him to the ultimate extreme: You must be nailed to the cross, to deliver man from the cross, from sin, and You shall offer up Yourself in exchange for all of mankind.’ Satan made the following wager: ‘Since You are a loving and compassionate God, You must love man to the ultimate extreme: You should then offer Yourself up to the cross.’ Jesus replied, ‘As long as it is for mankind, I am willing to lay down My all.’ And then He went up onto the cross without the slightest self-regard, and redeemed the whole of mankind.