What wondrous love is this!!

It was to be a life of paradise! Living and loving every minute of life! In the beginning God spoke the living Word and created Man in His image. What great plans He had! "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth..." God blessed them - male and female (Genesis 1:26,27). They were to live in the Garden of Eden...and enjoy. Man and woman were created to have fellowship with their Creator, God, who loved them with an everlasting love.

But, when Adam and Eve listened to the lies of Satan, God had no choice but to banish His creation from the lovely Garden He created just for them. His original design was for Man to rule and enjoy...but Man gave his rule to Satan by listening to him and choosing his lies.

They chose their own fate by turning away from God. Oh, God still loved them, but because He is light and life, He couldn't look on the darkness and death they had chosen (Genesis 3).

From then on, Man tried to please God. He tried to reach his Creator. Man sacrificed animals and tried to do right. There were laws written by the hand of God and Man was unable to keep them. Man would try and fall short, over and over. He was weak, sick, poor, in trouble, dying and lost.

That is when I can imagine, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit had a talk. I imagine it could've gone something like this:

Father: "Son, You know how I love these people we created."
Son: "Father, I know...I love them very, very much too."
Holy Spirit: "It grieves Me so, to watch them fail over and over."
Father: "We have seen the sacrifice of lambs...the blood that has been shed to cover and atone for their sins.
Son: "But, we know it is only temporary.
Holy Spirit: They have no power to do what is right."

They sat and watched a little longer as Man fumbled and stumbled. They knew what needed to be done.

Father: "Son, We know what We must do."
Son: "Father, I will go."
Holy Spirit: "I empower and will descend."
Father: "Then, it is settled."
Father,Son and Holy Spirit: "AMEN!"

God rejoiced over Man because of the victory He knew He had over Satan. He rejoiced for the victory Man could have again...what He had intended for Man to have from the beginning...victory that would be his again through His Son.

Jesus came to this world as a baby.

The Plan: To save a lost and dying world - to bring us into the knowledge of who He is - our Savior and Lord! He was God become man for us.(John 1:14)

For God so loved the world He sent His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

What a GIFT! He gives and gives...loves and loves. Why? So we can have life more abundantly (John 10:10). It is the life He originally intended us to have - victorious through Him... yes, through it all.