Can you think of someone who loves you?
   Who is it?
   How do you know they love you?
   How do they express their love for you?

   Now think of someone you love very much.
   Who is it?
   Does this person know you love them?
   How do they know?
   Why do you love them?

   If you could add up all the love in the world--all the love that children have for their moms and dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, brothers, sisters, and friends--and add that to all the love they have for you,

   How much love would you get?
   All the love in the world?
   That's a lot of love.

   But if you took all that love and compared it to God's love for you, it would be like comparing the amount of sand in one small shovel to all the sand in the world. God loves you more than all the love of everyone put together! Much more!
   He loves you so much that He willingly gave His own Son Jesus to be a part of the human race for eternity. Jesus is now your Brother, and His Father is also your Father.
   Jesus left His beautiful home in heaven and became a baby. Like you, He learned to walk and talk. His mother taught Him to read. He grew up with other children in his neighborhood, just like you. He came to this world so He could understand how you feel.
   We can't see Jesus now, but we know that He loves us because the Bible tells us so.
   Print this page and look up the following Bible texts describing God's love for you, and fill in the blanks:*

   "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called _______________ of ________ ." 1 John 3:1

   "I have loved you with an ______________________ love; therefore with lovingkindness I have ____________ you." Jeremiah 31:3

   "For God so loved the world that He ________ His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be ___________ ." John 3:16, 17

   "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ _________ for us." Romans 5:8

   These texts describe a special kind of love the Bible calls agape.    Agape love differs from human love in that we don't have to do anything to receive it. God loved you, He knew you, even before you were born. He loves everyone, regardless of whether they've heard of Him or appreciate His great agape love for them.    Agape takes some getting used to, because we often experience its opposite--conditional love:

   "I'll get you a present, if you do something nice for me."
   "If you obey me, then I'll give you a hug."
   "I'll be your friend, if you promise not to be friends with anyone else."

   In contrast,

   God gave His Son Jesus as a gift to the entire world with no strings attached.
   God loves us even when we hurt Him by disobedience.
   God gives us His love to share with others.

   That's God's agape love. When you think about God, who loves you that much, how do you feel?
   If you feel glad, share the Good News with someone else!

   "For the love of Christ ____________ [motivates] us because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." 2 Cor. 5:14, 15.

* These texts are from the New King James Version, but you may use the King James or other versions to fill in the blanks.

Published in the 1888 Message Newsletter, 1999.