Reading the Word

John 3:16–19 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Yesterday, we mentioned that we have to make sure we do not forget the reason for Christmas. Jesus was born into this world to save mankind by going to the cross as payment for sin. We also must not overlook what we learn about God because of Christmas. We learn that, even though we have rebelled against God through disobedience, he still loves us. He loves us so much that he gave his only Son for our salvation. That is amazing love!

I often hear from people who blame God for their pain and suffering. We must not forget that our sin is the cause of all of the trouble we face in this world. It is because of our disobedience that pain and sorrow and death entered into God’s good creation. Jesus came to rescue us from our suffering and give us eternal life in a world without the consequences of sin. It is because of Jesus that we have hope in the midst of our pain. We must not overlook God’s love and goodness during this special time of the year.

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