A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford
She was a beautiful, intelligent young woman, whom circumstances had brought us together for a day. I asked her, “Jennifer, has anybody told you how much God loves you and wants to give you all His treasures?”
“No,” she said reasonably, “I’m from New York.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Was, then, the blessed truth that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world a fact known only to us South Carolinians and hidden from New Yorkers? That surely couldn’t be true. After all, everybody knows John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everylasting life,” don’t they?
No, obviously, not everyone knows John 3:16—at least not this New Yorker!
So this South Carolinian told Jennifer from New York the incredible, but absolutely true story of God’s love for her. I went all the way back, where the Story begins, when God first thought about creating people, people with whom He could shower all His treasures. He created with deep love all the people who ever lived so they could love Him back. But their love had to be voluntary. No one would be satisfied to have a robot, to hit a button so it would say in a recorded voice, “I love you.” God gave them, and you and me, the choice, knowing that we’d all choose to go our own selfish way.
What makes the story unbelievable is that, knowing all this, and loving us “to the uttermost,” as John 13:1 says, He and His Son Jesus planned for Jesus to take on the punishment for our sins, and pay for it Himself. Jesus died that sadistic, horrible death on the cross so that we could be forgiven for our rebellion, and become His own children.
We can’t imagine that kind of love, but the Bible attests it is true.
The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise,
[to come back to earth to take believers to Heaven]
As some people think.
No, He is being patient for your sake.
He is not willing for anyone to perish,
But wants everyone to repent
[and trust Christ to be our Savior]. 2 Peter 3:8-9
The glad news is for everybody! Everybody in New York. Everybody in Greenville. Everybody in Longyearbyen, Norway the northernmost city on earth to Puerto Williams, Chile, its southernmost. God is not willing that anyone should perish, but that everyne even in the smallest city in Africa, Polo, Angola, to Podunk City, Iowa!
God does love this world and its broken people. He yearns to make us whole and give us everlasting life. How can we resist that kind of sacrificial love?
New Yorkers Need to Know God Loves Them Too!
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford
She was a beautiful, intelligent young woman, whom circumstances had brought us together for a day. I asked her, “Jennifer, has anybody told you how much God loves you and wants to give you all His treasures?”
“No,” she said reasonably, “I’m from New York.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Was, then, the blessed truth that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world a fact known only to us South Carolinians and hidden from New Yorkers? That surely couldn’t be true. After all, everybody knows John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everylasting life,” don’t they?
No, obviously, not everyone knows John 3:16—at least not this New Yorker!
So this South Carolinian told Jennifer from New York the incredible, but absolutely true story of God’s love for her. I went all the way back, where the Story begins, when God first thought about creating people, people with whom He could shower all His treasures. He created with deep love all the people who ever lived so they could love Him back. But their love had to be voluntary. No one would be satisfied to have a robot, to hit a button so it would say in a recorded voice, “I love you.” God gave them, and you and me, the choice, knowing that we’d all choose to go our own selfish way.
What makes the story unbelievable is that, knowing all this, and loving us “to the uttermost,” as John 13:1 says, He and His Son Jesus planned for Jesus to take on the punishment for our sins, and pay for it Himself. Jesus died that sadistic, horrible death on the cross so that we could be forgiven for our rebellion, and become His own children.
We can’t imagine that kind of love, but the Bible attests it is true.
The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise,
[to come back to earth to take believers to Heaven]
As some people think.
No, He is being patient for your sake.
He is not willing for anyone to perish,
But wants everyone to repent
[and trust Christ to be our Savior]. 2 Peter 3:8-9
The glad news is for everybody! Everybody in New York. Everybody in Greenville. Everybody in Longyearbyen, Norway the northernmost city on earth to Puerto Williams, Chile, its southernmost. God is not willing that anyone should perish, but that everyne even in the smallest city in Africa, Polo, Angola, to Podunk City, Iowa!
God does love this world and its broken people. He yearns to make us whole and give us everlasting life. How can we resist that kind of sacrificial love?