“What the world needs now is love”: The headline in two-inch-high letters proclaimed it and then went on to list 20 ways to “love the world,” including recycle newspapers, car pools and plant a tree. It is well to practice thrift and save resources, but is that the only kind of love the world needs?
There is no doubt the world needs love; sorrow, grief, tragedy and heartbreak are all around us. Daily we see such sadness and desperation that it can hardly be borne. Even our young people, who, we think, should be enjoying happy, carefree childhood and youth, are becoming so confused and depressed that they are in some cases taking that last desperate step - suicide. Lonely, discouraged and despairing, they turn away from life - from light -from love.
There is love, real, true, everlasting love, and Jesus Christ came to bring it 2000 years ago. There has been love for the world of humanity in all the wonderful works of God for us. His power shows in all of His beautiful creation, but that cannot compare with His wonderful love in sending the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to save all who will accept that love.
A man was walking along the street when he saw ahead of him a friend, an old Christian missionary. He was about to catch up with him when he noticed the old man was talking to himself, so he stayed behind to listen. He heard the old missionary saying, “For God so loved the world . . . ” Then he would pause, shake his head and start over again. “For God so loved the world . . . ” Again the pause, the wondering head-shake. Never did he get beyond those wonderful words. He had been preaching God’s love for most of his life, and yet he could not get beyond the miracle of love that could embrace this poor world.
Believe it! Receive it! And learn what love really is!