January 26

God is Love

And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. — Luke 2:12 BSB

Yes, this is the meaning of it all: it speaks of God’s good will toward all people. There’s a medieval legend that illustrates this truth. An infidel knight, in defiance of God, decided to test the reality and power of the God whose existence he denied. Armed for battle, he went into a field, cast down his glove as a challenge, and cried to the heavens, “God, if there is a God, I defy you to mortal combat! If you exist, show your power!” As he finished speaking, he noticed a piece of parchment fluttering in the air above him. It fell at his feet. When he picked it up, he found written on it the words, “God is love!” Overwhelmed by this unexpected response, the knight broke his sword in surrender, knelt on the fragments, and consecrated his life to the God he had just defied.

In the same way, to all the defiance, rebellion, and godlessness of the world, heaven’s response has always been, “God is love!” This was the message of the angels’ song that night: “On earth peace, good will toward men.” The coming of Christ is the ultimate expression of this message. In a cold world, filled with hearts closed against God, the answer was not swift judgment but the gift of the Son of God as Savior. Wherever the gospel goes today, it still proclaims the same message: God does not hate us; He loves us with a tender, everlasting love.