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. John 3:16
step 1: read the devotional
step 2: listen to the worship playlist while you paint your nails
step 3: let your nails be a reminder
living loved will change your life and all the lives around you. let’s talk about this. take a look at these two verses:
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.
1 John 4:11 - dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
God loves you so much. He sent His son to be a sacrifice so that you could be reconciled to the Father. praise God! this is extravagant, unconditional love. and God's love and pursuit of your heart doesn’t stop at the cross! you’ve probably read this before “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” quick important history lesson to give context as to why this is awesome: back in the day, if the King invited you to his party and while at a the party, you received a drink refill that meant that the king wanted to spend more time with you. if you did not receive a drink refill, that was a very polite way to say 'you can leave now the king no longer desires time with you'. so here we are, our cup is overflowing. meaning Jesus isn't tired of us. He actually can't get enough time with us. our cup is literally overflowing because He is refilling it over and over and over. He loves us. when we understand this to be true, it changes everything.
there are a few people who come to my mind who have lived loved and because of their example my life was changed; I want to share about two people today. my Grandma-in-love and my Moma (Grandma). this is what I wrote after my Grandma-in-love passed, I share because as you read through it, you see how the way she loved changed many people's lives.
"Today, the world lost a legend and heaven welcomed a good and faithful servant. The way Grandma loved people was nothing short of noteworthy. Grandmas love, care and faithfulness was the legacy she made. Not a single person could interact with our grandma without her making them feel absolutely loved. She wanted everyone to feel included and she could make anyone smile. She prayed for people, loved Jesus, read her Bible daily, was incredibly generous and so thoughtful. She had a way of making you feel important. Grandma took her finally breath and as we left the nursing home, all the nurses, staff and several patients lined the hallway to honor her and her character. It was one of the most beautiful things to experience — their intentional act of kindness really did honor the loving woman we all knew her to be.
I’m reminded of how before Miles & I were married she made it clear to me that she loved me as one of her own. Her support of my small business, her interest in the details of our lives, the laughs shared, the many many hugs, it all made a huge impact on my life. She knew how to laugh and she knew how to cry. I’ll never forget how she weeped with/for me when I had bad sciatic pain one Christmas. Who does that? Grandma does. A year before she passed, Grandma gave advice to us... She said “Enjoy each other, love each other and take care of each other”… And that’s what she did. She enjoyed, loved and cared for everyone."
whew. I cry every time I read through it because it's true. her life pointed to Jesus' extravagant love.
something that makes me smile without fail is remembering how many “o”s my Moma would string together at the bottom of a birthday card, christmas card... my Moma always wrote in her cards “I love you soooooooo much. and Jesus does too.” later in the life, I discovered my Moma’s Mom wrote the same thing in all of her cards. so here we are, three generations of women, eager to remind you and everyone that you are sooooooo loved.
my Grandma-in-love and my Moma (Grandma) lived loved because they knew the love of Jesus and out of their secret place with God, love overflowed to everyone around them. I think these kinds of examples are important. we should hold them very close to our heart and we should let them inspire us today.
so here is your reminder: you are so loved. as you prepare to paint your nails; read through these verses:
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.
Romans 5:8 - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 2:8 - for by grace you have saved through faith. and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
Luke 12:6–7 - are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? and not one of them is forgotten before God. why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Jeremiah 31:3 - "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness".