10/26/2026
So much can be said about [John 3:16-21]. If there’s one passage in all of Scripture that encapsulates the heart of our faith, this has to be it! While I can’t expound on everything in these verses in one devotional, I want to highlight two things.
First, notice the hope we have and the reason God did what He did: “For God so loved the world…” We weren’t entitled to God’s love. God didn’t have to do what He did. He chose to love us. Why? Because that’s who our God is. His love is not something we earned through our goodness or religious devotion. It is an expression of His gracious character toward undeserving sinners. What an incredible hope we have in a God who loves us so deeply that He gave His only Son for us!
Second, the love of God is not simply a generic, sentimental love. It’s a love that acts. God didn’t merely tell us He loved us. He demonstrated that love by sending His Son to die in our place. And the purpose was not simply to make our lives better or give us a second chance at happiness. It was to rescue us from perishing and give us eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. At the cross, we see both the seriousness of our sin and the greatness of God’s love.
John 3:16 is so familiar that we can easily lose sight of how remarkable it is. Take time today to marvel at the love of God. Not because we deserved it, but because He graciously gave it. And remember that the fitting response to such love is not just admiration, but faith in Jesus Christ, the Son whom the Father sent to save sinners.
🙏 Pray
Lord, captivate me all over again with Your love. Help me to sit and marvel that You are who You are, and You loved me so much to send Your Son to die for me.
-Pastor Ryan Gilbert
Daily Devotional | October 23, 2026