Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

How do we define love?  Especially when we feel we go a raw deal?  We are short and wish to be tall; we are sick or frail and desire to be strong and robust.  We always pull the short straw.  We say, "If God really loved me..."

Stop!  Have we forgotten?  God is love!  "God so loved the world."  Perhaps our disappointments are because we have defined love as getting our own way.

God practiced tough love.  He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him for all of us!  God's love is not in getting, but in giving.  Our heavenly Father gave us the greatest gift of all - forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

In love the Father sent His Son into the world to do what we could not do for ourselves.  Jesus became our substitute.  He lived, suffered, and died in our place for the forgiveness of sins.  The Father accepted Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf and raised Him from the dead.

As Christ lives, so also we, His baptized children, enjoy the greatest gift of His love - forgiveness of sins.  The Father's tough love in giving His Son for us inspires our love in giving and in forgiving others.

 From "Portals of Prayer" (c) 2005 by Concordia Publishing House.  Reproduced by permission under license number 07:09-18B.  For ordering information contact Concordia at www.cph.org .