God’s love is sometimes not totally understood. If you ask someone about how much God loves man, they might try to measure it in a monetary value.
Jesus spoke of this subject in a way that may seem strange to some because he used something insignificant to tell of God’s love. He used small birds as an illustration of God’s love.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:28-31). How could God’s love and sparrows correlate?
In the that time, many small birds were used in commerce. Small birds were eaten as a small morsel of food. Several of them would be plucked and place on a skewer, then roasted over a fire and eaten.
Notice the passage from Matthew again: two sparrows were sold for a penny. Luke records that five sparrows were sold for two pennies (Luke 12:6).
This meant that the buyer received the fifth sparrow for free because one sparrow had no value. How does this relate to God’s love?
God knows when one sparrow, however worthless in man’s eye, falls to the ground. Have you ever tried to count the number of birds you see in a day’s time?
Yet God cares for each one of them. Some days one may only see a few birds, and at other times hundreds. God knows about each one.
If God cares that much for such small creatures, how much more does he care for man?
In the eyes of some, it takes power, money or prestige to be important. However, one should remember God cares for every person on the face of the earth.
This is known by reading God’s word. The Bible records, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
God wants all men to be saved: “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave himself a ransom for all …” (1 Timothy 2: 3-6).
God has made it possible for all men to be saved. He sent his Son to give himself as the ransom for man’s sins. He has given his word so that man can know what is expected.
Some fail to read and study for themselves and only listen to what others tell them. Jesus himself implored those of his day to, “search the scriptures… and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
Knowing that the Bible comes from God (2 Tim. 3:16,17) should make one curious enough to read it for themselves.
God wants man to believe in Jesus as his Son (John 8:24), to repent of their sins (Luke 13:3), be willing to confess the name of Jesus before men (Matt. 10:32, 33), and then be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38).
After this, one must live for God every day. God loves all his creation. Study the word to know how much that love is directed toward you.