God’s Heart For All People (Daily Refresh, 03-01-26)

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 
John 3:16 NASB

The verse above is the essence of the Gospel. The Gospel means good news, and it’s God’s plan to save us from eternal separation from Him. 

Our sin separated us from God’s perfection. And because of that, we could not have a personal relationship with Him. Knowing that we could not get to Him on our own, God sent Jesus to us to make things right. Jesus did what no one else could do—He lived a perfect life, He died for us, and then He conquered death by coming back to life. It’s His resurrection that led to our reconciliation with God—and that’s good news! 

Here are a three key things to remember about the Gospel:

God Loves Everyone 
John 3:16 doesn’t say that God loved some of the people in the world. It says He loves the world … that means everyone who inhabits it. God’s heart is for all people. The Gospel is for everyone.

God Wants Everyone
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 
2 Peter 3:9 NASB 

Jesus has promised to come back for His people, and God always keeps His promises. We might grow impatient waiting for Him to return, but we can take comfort in knowing that His waiting is for our benefit. He wants to give everyone an opportunity to know Him personally. 

God Sends Everyone
The last thing Jesus told His followers before He returned to heaven was to go and make disciples everywhere. We aren’t all called to other countries, but we are all called to share His good news with everyone we know.

There are people who need the love and hope we have in Jesus. So if Jesus is our Savior, then let’s live like it. Let’s offer our praise to God for who He is, and worship Him through the way we live our lives. Let’s ask Him to help us see how much He loves everyone.  

As we patiently wait for God to return, let us purposefully live each day for His glory.

That’s why we’re here.

My Thoughts

Each time I get anxious about what is happening in the world and really wonder when Jesus will return, I stop and think about loved ones who are not saved yet, dear ones who don’t know Jesus as their Savior. And I am thankful that God is delaying the return because He truly loves everyone. We are partners with God in bringing more people to know Him and His love. We can’t do everything, but we can each do something. Our mission field is our neighborhood, at our grocery store, at work, and in all of our community programs that we attend. It’s sometimes difficult to know what to say and when to say it, but silence is not the answer. Our silence may mean that someone whom God loves misses the opportunity to know about Him and His sacrifice for them. I like these three key points: God loves everyone, God wants everyone, God sends everyone. To whom is God sending you today? Who needs an encouraging word of love and hope from the Lord? Sharing may be hard, but it will be worth it when you see the faces of those with whom you have shared with you in glory, won’t it?