“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son …” John 3:16

Many people say they love someone, but does it show in their actions? If it doesn’t show in their actions, it’s not love. I read this quote by psychologist, Gordon Livingston, “If someone’s actions repeatedly don’t line up with their words, then believe their actions not their words.” God’s love shows in his actions, “He gave his one and only Son.”

Paul gives this instruction, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Again love is described in terms of action, particularly in terms of sacrifice. If someone is prepared to give up something precious for our sake then we know they really do love us.

God gave up the most precious thing of all, his one and only Son—that’s  an enormous action, an enormous sacrifice. We can know beyond any shadow of a doubt, that God really does love us. Furthermore, since we have done nothing to earn God’s love it also means we can do nothing to lose it. At night when the sun disappears from sight, we don’t doubt its power to bring light and keep us warm, so there is no need to doubt the warmth of God’s love just because we don’t always feel it.

Paul tells the Ephesian Christians he is praying for them to know how much they are loved. “I pray that you … may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love … ”. (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Let’s also pray that we may have the power to grasp the vastness of Christ’s love.