3:16 The Numbers of Hope

"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

A twenty-six-word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions.

The verse is an alphabet of grace, a table of contents to the Christian hope, each word a safe-deposit box of jewels. Read it again, slowly and aloud, and note the word that snatches your attention. “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.”

God so loved this world? Heartbreakers, hope-snatchers, and dream-dousers prowl this orb. Dictators rage. Abusers inflict. Reverends think they deserve the title. But God loves. And he loves the world so much he gave his:

Declarations?
Rules?
Dicta?
Edicts?

No. The heart-stilling, mind-bending, deal-making-or-breaking claim of John 3:16 is this: God gave his son . . . his only son. Not abstract ideas but a flesh-wrapped divinity. Why? so that “whoever believes in him shall not perish.”

The above is from the book 3:16 The Numbers of Hope by Max Lucado.

John 3:16 is one of the most widely known verse in the Bible - and it is hope for everyone. It is one of my favorite verses also. "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. Whoever..that is you and me...the person walking down the street, your co-worker, best friend...everyone. Have you shared this incredible gift from God?


Want to know more?
Download Chapter One of 3:16,
http://www.maxlucado.com/316/pdf/316_chapter1.pdf