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

God loving the world must have come as quite a shock to Nicodemus, the person who first heard Jesus utter this phrase. And it would have shocked early readers of John's Gospel.

From their perspective, God was a remarkably loving God, offering his covenant faithfulness to his people from generation to generation, proving faithful even when his people were faithless. The God of the Old Testament clearly demonstrated his loving nature time and time again to Abraham and his descendants.

Why the surprise, then?

The love Jesus talked about in today's passage isn't just for God's people. This love isn't just for Abraham and his descendants. This is a bigger, broader love. Expansive. Including people from every tongue and tribe and nation. A cosmic love.

God loves his people. He loves those who love him. And yet his love extends beyond that. He loves those who don't know him, those who reject him, those who feel nothing but terror when his name is mentioned, those who think they're too smart for him. There's room for all of us in this love.

The expansive love of God shapes our missiology and the way we view all that we encounter. Each of them stand beloved by God.

Take some time today to pray for a friend, neighbor, or relative who doesn't seem to know / believe / embrace the love that God has for them. Ask that their heart might be turned toward the God who loves them.