1 John 4:9: The Love of God Was Made Manifest

1 John 4:9
[9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (ESV)

We have all heard eloquent words about love. We love the idea of love. Certainly, all of us want to feel loved. We understand that love is from God. The beautiful thing about God's love is that he is not all about talk, he is about action. When we look at our Savior, Jesus Christ, we see love in action. Because God loved us he sent his only Son into the world. John describes this action as the love of God made manifest among us.

God sent his only Son into the world. I want you to consider that for a moment.  Where would you willingly send your own son?  If you knew for certain that sending your son to a place would guarantee that he would be falsely accused, hated, beaten, and brutally murdered would you send him? That is exactly what God the father did in sending his Son into the world.

Why would our heavenly Father send his Son into such a terrible place? The Apostle John tells us the answer: that we might live through him!  He was willing to go through all of the pain and shame of the cross so that we might have life. That is love in action. We need to be reminded again and again of just how wonderful the love of God is. Jesus showed us God's love in action.

If you are a recipient of God's love in action, take a moment and ponder how great his love is toward us.  Thank him. And put his love in action towards others.