Love Beyond Measure

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. — 1 John 4:9 (NLT)

We’re always trying to measure love — in words, in gestures, in distances. When our boys were little, one of our favorite bedtime books was Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare try to outdo each other with bigger and bigger expressions of affection. The tender conclusion — “I love you to the moon and back” — feels enormous in human terms. But even that beautiful phrase can’t begin to capture the depth of God’s love for us. 

Every time I read today’s verse, I’m struck again by how immeasurable that love truly is. As parents, we know something of deep love, and we know something of deep loss. That gives us a small glimpse of the costliness of love. Yet God’s love surpasses even that. In Jesus, God didn’t simply tell us He loved us; He showed us. Christ’s arms stretched wide on the cross reveal a love that holds nothing back — a love that offers itself fully, even for those who resist it. 

Christ’s death was not an accident of history but the purposeful act of God’s redeeming love. And his resurrection was not merely a reversal of tragedy but the triumph that opens the way to eternal life — a life that begins now, not only in the age to come. God’s love is not fragile or conditional; it is steadfast, initiating, and immeasurable. 

In Jesus, that love meets us in the present moment, reshaping our lives, restoring our hope, and drawing us into communion with God even now. He loves us so much that He wants us to live in that love today and forever. In conquering death, Jesus made this new life possible, and the invitation remains open to all, without exclusion, without exception. 

God of Grace, thank you for the love that stretches farther than our words can reach and deeper than our hearts can understand. In Jesus, you crossed every distance to draw us close — from heaven to earth, from holiness to our brokenness, from death into life. Help us rest in that love today. Shape our hearts by your Spirit so that our lives reflect the grace you have poured out in Christ. Teach us to love as you love, to trust the hope you give, and to share your life‑saving love with a world longing to know it. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim