John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. NLT John 3:16

For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. TEV John 3:16

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten [unique] Son, so that whoever believes in [trusts in, clings to, relies on] Him shall not perish [come to destruction, be lost] but have eternal [everlasting] life. AMP John 3:16

No matter how this verse is translated, it’s the same. God loves the world and gave His only Son to save it. This is the heart of Christmas celebration. We’ve all had times where negative feelings swell and threaten to overwhelm us. We might feel rejected, forgotten or worthless. We may wonder if God even loves us. But remember that feelings are not always a representation of truth. We have an enemy who comes to steal from us, to destroy us, and to kill us. If we can be convinced that God has abandoned us and that our portion is a bitter and hard life, then Satan has won and we have lost. It is imperative that we line ourselves up with the Word of God. God loves us. His thoughts toward us are good and not evil to give us a future and a hope. He has prepared a place for us in eternity and, in Him, we are more than conquerors. We have overcome the world!

May the celebration of God’s love for us never be lost in the trials and pressures of life. Our God loves us dearly. He has sent His Son to us to save us and the Holy Spirit to fill and empower us. He has given us covenant promises that He will keep. He is faithful and we can absolutely trust Him. Let’s choose to believe God and rebuke those thoughts or feelings that make God less than He is. The greatest gift that has been or ever will be has been given to us. Let’s rejoice!