If you are a Christian, you’ve undoubtedly heard John 3:16 multiple times. In fact, this is the verse we, as a body, usually quote when sharing the Gospel with others. 

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

However, “Jesus loves you” is not just some cliché we should say when preaching and demonstrating the Gospel. This simple term has such a profound effect on our salvation and eternal destination. 

Out of Jesus’ love for us, the eternal, all-powerful Son of God left Heaven and chose to be limited to a mortal body. He chose to live like a man, just like us, to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). 

Because Jesus so loved us, He died a sinner’s death on the cross, even though He was sinless, to be the ultimate offering and sacrifice that we may make right before God.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The Bible is full of verses showing that Jesus loves us unconditionally and eternally. He would die on that cross even if it were just for you alone. Such is the love of Jesus for you and for me. 

God’s love is unchanging, steady, and unwavering. Despite our shortcomings, sin, and tendency to drift away from God, God’s love calls us back to Him. God’s love is constant, healing, soothing, and a source of safety in a world where giving and receiving love is often fleeting and conditional.

The Bible reminds us that God’s love is constant, unchanging, and unconditional. Because there is no comparison, God’s love cannot be compared to human relationship love. 

Psalm 136:26 says, “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”

Thus, when we declare “Jesus loves you,” it needs to come from a heart of faith and boldly shared out of love for the eternal destiny of others as well.

It’s more than a slogan or something you wear on your shirt. It needs to be demonstrated by how we live and treat others.

If you’ve ever reached a moment in your life when you don’t know how to find peace anymore, having tried every promise of the world and still remain empty, it’s probably because you have not allowed Jesus Christ into your heart to fill the empty hole that only He can fill. No accomplishment, act of service, or romantic relationship can fill that hole.

This need is not something that can be ignored. Either you realize your desperate need for God and embrace Him, or you hate how His truth exposes your own sinful nature and try to run away from Him. The fact that we have all sinned and desperately need Him in our lives is a fact that cannot be altered. Rather than trying to change this eternal truth, we can just embrace the cure.

God is the only one that can fill this hole

God created us because He loves us. He gave us free will because it allows us to respond freely to that love. 

Jesus’ life was His way of saying, “I love you.” We can trust Him with anything, even our love. When you tell someone that “Jesus Loves You,” it’s the same as saying that “God is on your side.” 

“Jesus Loves You” is a significant term many well-meaning believers use as a simple and quick way to encourage, exhort, and empower others. 

The Bible says this, 

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)

The power of the Gospel is available to “those who believe.” This powerful statement can change lives, impact generations, and draw people closer to God. Moreover, there needs to be physical evidence of this good news in your way of life. 

John 1:14 says,

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

Jesus Christ is the Word. He wants to dwell among us, be part of our lives, and have communion and a loving relationship with Him. Whenever we declare His Word and Him to others, the Word can also become alive in them, dwell with them, and become a living, breathing experience.

A love that loves to love

What makes God’s love different from our love is the selflessness of His love, known as agape. Agape loves for totally selfless reasons. We love because of how the person we are loving makes us feel, or because of how much joy loving them gives us. No matter how selfless it may seem, the love we show almost always has a hidden benefit for us. God’s love is pure agape – His love is not driven by what He gets out of it. He simply loves because He is love.

With all this in mind, the way we love others is by letting God use us to show love to others. A simple gift, a small note of encouragement, or words of encouragement can change someone’s life when it’s led by the Holy Spirit. Listen for His leading, and then do the simple act that He is calling you. It is as simple as that.

The world desperately needs salvation, wisdom, hope, freedom, real peace, love, and much more! All this can be found in Jesus alone.

The next time you declare this statement, “Jesus Loves You,” let your faith be the fuel behind it, see how it brightens someone’s day, and introduce God’s amazing love to those God sends your way. 

Learn more about compassionate discipleship through Global Disciples Canada. We aim to multiply the disciples of Jesus Christ and spread His Good News by educating leaders in some of the most remote places in the world. Contact us and join us in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near to reach least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet, Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time when many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and practical training and coaching strategy, believers share the Gospel in their nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

As a disciple of Jesus, do I have His heart for people? Do I see each person I meet through the eyes of a loving, compassionate Savior?  

Jesus was a people person. His heart beat for people. You see it across the pages of the Gospels: Jesus talking, teaching, healing, feeding, blessing, reaching out, lifting up, and more. He welcomed the children, calmed the fearful, raised the sick from their beds and the dead from their graves.  

As the Son of God, He saw the heart of a person and their deepest need. He knew a lame man needed forgiveness as much as he needed strong legs (Mark 2). That a lonely woman drawing water needed His living water for her thirsty soul (John 4). That a man filled with questions needed to know God loved him to the point of sacrifice (John 3).  

Jesus looked beyond appearances, culture, economics, gender, and religiosity to reach out with love, compassion, and truth.  

We may not have the ability to see a heart in the way Jesus did, but He set the example. He shows us how to touch the untouchables, to speak life to the dying, to refresh the spiritually thirsty, and feed the hungry souls with His life-giving words.  

How you love people will show the world that you are Jesus’ disciple (John 3:35). And it’s with the help of the Holy Spirit, and the daily choice to see—and love—as Jesus did, that you’ll develop His heart for people.  

Consider this: Think of one person you find it difficult to be kind, compassionate, or loving to. How do you think Jesus sees them? What is one thing you can do today that would reflect Jesus’ love to them?    

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, loving people is hard. Show me how to see them as you do, and to begin loving them with compassion, truth, and sacrifice. Holy Spirit, cultivate my heart for people to reflect the heart of Jesus, who chose to love me too. Thank you for your work. Amen.  

“I was searching for peace,” Thomas said, “but I was looking for it in things that could not provide true peace.”

Thomas belongs to a predominantly Hindu people group in North India. His family was devoted to many gods and goddesses. His mother, sisters and others in his family were often visited or influenced by the spirits. And as he said, there was no peace.

“I thought that if I earned money and became rich, I would have peace,” he said. He heard about a man who made a huge sum as a legal advocate, so Thomas decided that was the job for him. He did the training, got his license, and went to work. “Even though I was earning a lot of money,” Thomas shared, “I felt guilty, like a criminal. I began to drink, and I abused my wife and children and others around me.”

One day, Thomas saw a man talking about Jesus Christ. He stopped to listen closely and heard the story of Zacchaeus—a man who needed peace just as Thomas did. As he learned that Jesus brought peace to Zacchaeus and not the money, Thomas wanted to know more. He started a conversation with the man, Amrit, who was a church planter doing outreach through his Global Disciples partner program.

Amrit gave Thomas some literature; Thomas read it all and wanted to know more. Amrit gave him a New Testament. Thomas began to read and when he got to Matthew 11:28, he found what he was looking for: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Thomas said, “That one verse led me to dedicate my life to Jesus and accept Him as my Lord and Saviour. I repented from my sins; I cast all my sins and my worried life onto Jesus Christ as my Saviour.”

Thomas’s life began to change; he left his quarrels and abusive language behind. He made peace with his family. His love for Jesus overflowed in his life, and he invited Amrit to share the Gospel with his large, extended family. “My family accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, too,” he rejoiced.

While he’s only one person, Thomas believes that with God, one is a big number. His desire now is to serve others. He shares the Gospel through his personal testimony and the Word of God with his community, and he has opened his home for a new church fellowship. Already, the one is multiplying. “We meet every Sunday evening with about 20 people eager to know more about the Bible,” Thomas said.

The man who searched for peace has found it—along with joy, and a mission in life. Thomas said, “My desire is that people would know the truth and get salvation through Jesus. I want to win souls in my area and community for Jesus!”

Global Disciples Canada trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and make disciples, connect with us today!