Little Louise thought that God loved only good people. In a rather strange way she was led to change her mind about Him. While walking along the road one day she picked up a piece of paper with some printing on it. She looked at it and read: “For God so loved the world that He gave—” Here it stopped, the rest of the verse having been torn off.
As she walked along Louise thought to herself: “God loved the world, then He loved everybody. God loved the world, then He loved me, for I am part of the world.
But “What did God give?” was the question that puzzled Louise. Her heart grew lighter and her face became brighter as she dwelt on the sweet truth that God loved her. Yet she had never been taught the truths of the Bible and she did not know what it was God had given to the world. Still she went home smiling.
“What makes you so happy, Louise?” some one asked her. Putting her hand in her pocket she produced the paper: “God so loved the world that He gave—.”
“But what did He give?” another inquired. “I don’t know,” said the little girl; “but it was good of God to give anything to the world.” And she was right. It was very good of God to give anything to this sin-blighted, guilty world. We deserved nothing but judgment, to be banished from His presence forever. “The wages of sin is death,” we learn from Romans 6:23; but God did not give us the “wages.” He loved us in spite of our sin.
By and by little Louise learned what it was God gave— “He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He had given the best gift that Heaven could afford — the Lord Jesus — to be her Saviour.
“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23. God loves you, dear reader. Christ died for you. Eternal life can be yours now. Why then delay? Believe in Him, trust Him as your Saviour, and you will be able to say: “God loved: God gave. I believe, and I have everlasting life.”
ML-01/16/1966