By O.S. Hawkins
God proved his love toward us. He did not prove it by writing “I love you” in flaming letters across the sky. Instead, in “the fullness of the time . . . God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4). Jesus was no remedial action or some kind of last-minute splint for a broken world when all else had failed. He came right on time, and he “demonstrate[d] his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
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The phenomenal aspect of his love is that it was expressed not when we were perfect or deserving. He loved us “while we were still sinners.” Think of that! And that is not all. The ultimate proof of His love toward us is that He “died for us.” The price He paid to prove his love was great. Every lash of the whip across his back, every thud of the hammer driving spikes in his hands and feet, was the voice of God saying, “I love sinners.”
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, The Nehemiah Code: An Interview with O. S. Hawkins]
I remember when our first child was born, holding her in my arms and thinking, I would give her the world if I could. Then the thought occurred to me that God had said just the opposite: “I will give my only Son to the world.” No wonder the songwriter of old said, “Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that brought it down to man . . . at Calvary.”
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CODE WORD: THUMB
Today, when you wash your hands, look at your thumb and let it remind you that no one has a thumbprint or DNA just like yours. You are an individual, indescribably loved by God. Let Him love you today.
PASSION PROCLAMATION
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. — GALATIANS 4:4
Lord, if You love me even in those moments when I am so unlovely, help me love those around me as You have loved me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, The Daniel Code: An Interview with O. S. Hawkins]
The above article is excerpted from The Passion Code: 100 Days with Jesus by O.S. Hawkins. Copyright © November 2019 by Thomas Nelson. Published by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com. Pages 56-57. All rights reserved.
The Passion Code is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.
Bio: O. S. Hawkins has served pastorates, including the First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, for more than 25 years. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he has three earned degrees (BBA, MDiv, and DMin) as well as several honorary degrees and is presently a PhD candidate at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the president of GuideStone Financial Resources, with assets under management of 16 billion dollars, serving 250,000 pastors, church staff members, missionaries, doctors, university professors, and other workers in various Christian organizations with their investment, retirement and benefit service needs. He is the author of more than 40 books, and speaks regularly to business groups and churches all across the nation. All of the author’s royalties and proceeds from the entire Code series go to support Mission:Dignity. You can learn more about Mission:Dignity by visiting MissionDignity.org.
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