I John 3:1a

Man with all his achievements has never been able to develop anything that can comprehensibly measure love. Even today with all the electronic gadgets at our fingertips, we still measure love’s greatness or strength by what we do for each other, especially the sacrifices that are made.

This is true of one of the oldest, greatest loves stories recorded in God’s Word. Genesis 29:19 describes the love that Jacob had for Rachel. A great friendship love is what Jonathan had for David; he loved David as his own soul (I Sam. 18:1). Then there is the ultimate love as explained in John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This is the ultimate measure of love.

We glean the greatest understanding of that type of love in the Scriptures where we are instructed to behold what matter of love the Father has for us. This is a description of God’s love: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).

Without the Scriptures, who can fathom how much the Father loved His Son? Who can fathom that our Heavenly Father “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” to prove His love? Who can fathom, that now as His children, He loves us with the same love as He loved His only begotten Son?

The prayer the Son prays in John 17:23 requests that “the world may know that Thou hast sent me, and hast loved them [believers], as Thou hast loved me.” The Apostle John writes: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

As children of God we are blessed to sing Frederick M. Lehman’s wonderful song:, “O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forever more endure—The saints’ and angels’ song.”