Exceptional Love

1 John 4:7-10 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
 
GOD is love. His love is exceptional; it is unique; it is eternal; it is the evidence of his plan to save you to heaven. Let’s see some evidence of God’s exceptional love in the Bible:
    Exodus 34:5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
    A few months before this Exodus event, God had brought his people from Egypt. Why? It is because he is abounding in love. In his exceptional love, he then came from heaven in his holiness to stand before sinful mankind. His exceptional love for Israel declares his compassion, grace and patience. His exceptional love proclaims his abounding love and forgiveness to welcome his people into his presence. God teaches also his exceptional love is in his justice against sin. His loving will is we live in his right law, so we can live in his love.  
    With exceptional love, the Father continued his plan through Israel’s many sins. He fulfilled his loving promise to send his only Son to die and pay for your sin.
    Meditate on this a moment. When you more deeply understand God’s exceptional love for you, do you love God more deeply? Is there more room in your heat to love the Lord because you know God has so personally demonstrated his love for you?
    God shows his exceptional love to you though the entire Bible to even sacrifice his Son for you. What must you sacrifice to have exceptional love to love God and to love one another?
 
Life Thought: Exceptional love requires sacrifice.