Morning Devotion 11/19/2025

He Loved Us…So He Gave

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

It has been said that you can give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving. Love is not something that can be expressed with words alone, but with deeds: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18). Genuine love always finds an outlet to prove itself, and it comes in the form of gifts. The greater the gift, the greater the expression of love. I would give my neighbor a room to sleep in, but I would give my wife the farm. I would clothe the neighbor's children and feed them when occasion called for it, but I give my very life for my children. Those we love the most we are willing to give the most to. Now consider the gift given to us…Jesus Christ.

The Greatest Gift

God gave us Himself. Yes, He has given eternal life, forgiveness, justification, joy, peace, and a million other blessings, but all of these blessings cannot be compared to the Giver of the blessings. These are the river of blessings, but Jesus is the wellspring, the fountainhead. We have Him! He gave us Himself! Every breath from His birth until now, all of His thoughts were consumed by us, every drop of sweat given, every drop of blood poured out for us. What a gift! The greatest gift ever given: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

Have You Given Him Yourself?

Beyond a shadow of a doubt He loved us, but the question is, how much do we love Him? Have you given your life to Him? Think for a second before you justify yourself. Not have you given Him this thing or that, but have you given Him yourself? Have you presented your body a living sacrifice? Have you laid down your will, your ambitions, your desires, your life? That is what love does—it gives. When Jesus returned to backslidden Peter, His question was, "Do you love me?" If he did, then he must "feed my sheep." That is, give your life to those I have given My life for. So it is this morning. If you love Him, give your life to Him and give your life to those He gave His life for. Anything less is a result of a lack of love.

A Prayer

Father, help me to love You! You are so lovely, and I am so weak. Open my eyes to new glimpses of Your loveliness and help my heart to fall in love with You! Thank You for giving me Yourself. I want to give myself to You. Take my heart, take my mind, my body, take me and everything I have and, by Your grace, change me into Your image! Draw us, and we will run after You! Empower us and we will glorify You! Chasten us and we will thank You! Lord, we love You…help us love You more!