TINY PACKAGES

God So Loved

You can’t judge the importance of something by its size.  In other words, just because something is small doesn’t mean it's not valuable.  In fact, some of the most significant things in life come in tiny packages.  Consider the size of a box containing a diamond ring representing a lifetime covenant commitment between a man and a woman.  Or, consider a tiny computer chip that holds hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures and videos and essential data.  I think about a newborn baby—tiny and frail yet filled with eternal purpose that could literally change the course of history.  Yes, sometimes big things come in tiny packages!

"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16 KJV)

This well-known verse contains one of the least understood phrases.  God's love surpasses anything our minds can comprehend. His love is limitless, His love is complete, His love is perfect.

When we look down our noses at people who are less than “acceptable”, God so loves!  We fail to understand how God could love someone who has committed a heinous crime, and yet God so loves!  We are repulsed by someone who has walked all their lives through the dirt and dust, but yet God so loves.  We might look into the eyes of someone who has never brushed their teeth, combed their hair, or taken a bath but we can be assured that God so loves!

"So"…the biggest little word in the Bible all wrapped up in a tiny package. How does God love us?  He "so" loves us!  Included in the little word "so" are all the agonies of the cross—nothing withheld, the greatest sacrifice, all captured in the word "so".

God is not just loving, He is love! Everything there is to know about God is wrapped up in the word "love".  Agape, a Greek word for “love”, is love with no expectation of return; loving because it's one's nature to love.  That's the kind of love God has for His creation…overwhelming, mind-boggling, supernatural, immense, total, complete, and lacking nothing! God not only loves, He so loves!

As we strive to know Him more and more each day, our understanding of the vastness of His love will increase. He longs for an intimate, loving relationship with us which will grow as we fix our gaze upon Him, set our affection upon Him, and have an undivided heart toward Him.  He “so” loves us with limitless, boundless love.

“So” reminds us that sometimes big things are wrapped up in tiny packages.  Two letters capture the immenseness of God's love—He gave the best He had to give to show He so loves us.

Father, the depth of Your love toward me is overwhelming. My mind can hardly comprehend a love such as Yours toward a people who are so undeserving! Lord, I long to grow closer to You, closer than ever before,  closer than yesterday yet not as close as tomorrow! Father, without Your love, I am nothing, nothing at all! How can I ever thank You for such a gift so freely given?  Thank You for “so” loving me!  In Jesus’ name, amen!