Christmas: Guess How Much God Loves You?

December 13, 2020

Bible Readings

Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.

1 John 4:11, Romans 5:6-10

Memory Verse

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

written by Ron VandenBurg
illustrated by Chad Thompson

The view is like we are looking into the room and seeing all of it. There is a good view of everyone around the table on all sides. Casey’s family is sitting around the dinner table. The room has Christmas decor around it. The Christmas meal is over. We see plenty of leftovers and bowls and plates with food scooped out of them. At the table, Dad is reading from the Bible, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”
Casey exclaims, “That’s today! God gave his son on Christmas!

Dad continues, “... that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Casey now understands and exclaims, “ God loves us so much that Jesus came to die for us… Hey, that’s Easter!

Casey stands and excitingly continues, “What are we waiting for? Let’s start planning our Easter celebrations now!” Everyone is smiling. Tori is applauding. Brother is laughing happily.

Print Comic

Have you ever read the book Guess How Much I Love You? In this book, no matter how Little Nutbrown Hare describes how much he loves Big Nutbrown Hare, Big Nutbrown Hare can always outdo him. In the end, just as he falls asleep, Little Nutbrown Hare says, “I love you to the moon.” Not to be outdone, Big Nutbrown Hare whispers, “I love you to the moon…and back.”

Like Little Nutbrown Hare competing with Big Nutbrown Hare, tell God how much you love him. Maybe you dance and sing, "I love you, Lord." Or tell God of your love in a prayer or an offering.

No matter what you or any of us do, our love is never greater than God's love. He loves you more than you can love him back. In today's Bible verse, the gospel writer John describes how big God’s love is. God sent his Son to earth. During Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God's only son, as proof of his love.

But that’s not the end of the story. God loves you so much that he let his only son die, so you could live forever. Romans 5:8 says,"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". Jesus died for our sins on Good Friday, he rose again on Easter to give us eternal life. It is through this act of love that you will live forever with God.

What do we do about that? How should you respond to God's love? By showing God’s love to others. This is what Jesus commanded when he said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). At Christmas, you can love your neighbors through your words and actions. Share the love that God has shown to you, just like the Nutbrown Hares telling their love to each other.

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for loving me more than I could ever imagine. Help me to spread the word about your love to everyone I meet. Amen

Related Resources

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Abby Epplett

Abby Epplett works as a park ranger for the National Park Service at Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas. She recently earned a Master’s in Museum Education at Tufts University and is a member of Pleasant Street Christian Reformed Church in Whitinsville, MA.