God’s Heart For All People
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 imperfections 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.
The Great Connection
If you’ve ever been to a vineyard, you know they are not only beautiful, but also fascinating. Imagine rows and rows of grape-bearing vines, rooted on rolling hills—its produce harvested and distributed as table grapes, grape juice, wine, raisins, jellies, jams, and more.
Jesus often used real-life examples to explain spiritual truths and, in John 15, vineyards were at the center of His analogy…
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
John 15:4 NLT
In the surrounding passages, Jesus makes it clear that He, the Son, is the vine; His Father, God, is the gardener; and we, His people, are the branches—thriving or dying depending on our connection to the source.
You could also think about it this way:
Your phone won’t continue to function if it’s not charged. But when it’s plugged into a charger, which is connected to the ...