​By Yodit Kifle Smith 

"For God so loved the world that He gave is only begotten Son..."
John 3:16
John 3:16 is one of the most well-known passages in the Bible. Why? Because it’s one of the greatest examples of God’s most known attribute: His love.
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Scripture tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). And we love to talk about His love. It’s reassuring. It’s compassionate. It’s merciful. It’s gracious. It’s steadfast. It’s faithful. It’s giving. And the list goes on.
 
However, when we talk about God’s love, we hardly ever hear messages that help us understand why God’s love is profound. Why it’s unlike any other. Perhaps it’s because it gets into a part of God that we are uncomfortable talking about: His wrath and judgement.
 
We think speaking of His wrath and judgement villainizes God as if those two things couldn’t co-exist with His love.
 
God is love. But Scripture doesn’t say God is wrath. However, His wrath is a function of His Holiness (Isaiah 43:15). God can’t be in the midst of sin (Deuteronomy 23:14) which is why His love towards us proves to be amazing because in order for us to be reconciled to Him and know His love, His wrath had to be satisfied (Romans 5:9). 
 
Here’s what we have to rehearse more in our lives as believers. When we read that “God loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life: (John 3:16), He wasn’t sending His Son to have this fun-filled adventure or vacation here on Earth. He sent His Son to die. Why? Because God is Holy. God’s holiness couldn’t allow sinful people to be in right standing with Him. Sin demanded death. This is why in the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, priests would have to make sacrifices each year as an atonement for their sins and the sins of the people so God’s presence could continue being with them (Hebrews 10:11). 
 
Now in the new covenant of Christ, when we remember and celebrate the death of Christ, we aren’t celebrating just the act of death, we are also rejoicing in that fact that we sinful and undeserving people received God’s grace instead of His wrath- a wrath that we deserved for choosing sin over our Creator. For exchanging His glory for sin. How? Because of Jesus- the only one blameless and perfect stood condemned. Not us. Jesus took on God's wrath. Not us. Jesus was judged. Not us—so that when we believe,

we will be saved (John 3:15).
We will be forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)
We will be reconciled (2 Cor.5:18).
We will be redeemed (Galatians 3:13).
We will be free from the bondage of sin (Galatians 2:20).
We will be in God’s love (Jude 1:21).

 
So, you want to know how much God loves you? look at the cross and see the sacrifice that had to take place so you can know and live in His love. (Romans 3:25)
 
 You want to know how much God hates sin? Look at the cross and let it remind you that God is Holy and His wrath had to be satisfied in Christ for us to be in Christ.
 
God’s deep love for us doesn't exist without His deep hate of sin—the very thing that separates His images bearers from Him. And His deep hate of sin doesn't exist without someone taking our place to die and bear His wrath so we could be free to be in His love.
 
This is amazing love.
 
Sisters, rejoice! In Christ, we are no longer under the wrath of God but are secure in His love. On that glorious day, we will stand before Jesus as our Savior and not our Judge because we believe. We don't have to be afraid of talking to people about God's wrath because it gives us an amazing opportunity to talk about His love. So, may this give us a heart to tell others about Christ.  
 
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Isaiah 43:15
Deuteronomy 23:14
John 3:16
1 John 4:8
Romans 3:25
Romans 5:9
John 5:22-30
Galatians 3:13
Galatians 2:20
Jude 1:21
Ephesians 1:7
2 Corinthians 5:18
Hebrews 9-10

Questions to Reflect on:

1. How has this devotional helped your better understand God’s wrath?
2. Were you afraid of talking about God’s wrath? Did you misunderstand it?
3. How does understanding God’s wrath help you better understand His love?
4. Does this give you an urgency to share Christ with others?

By Brittany Jean-Louis (WITHIN Devotional Writer)

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

We are in the fourth quarter of the year. We have put in the work for the past three quarters and let’s be honest, some of the work has been hard. We have persevered and now here we are. Who’s tired? Who has or is currently experiencing burn out?
 
Burn out is real, even for Christians. It can be burn out from our work, our families or our personal ministries. So, what exactly is burn out? It is when we push ourselves to the limit and we have nothing more to give to our responsibilities. When burn out occurs we can: lose sense of our Godly purpose, create/harbor resentment toward God and others, have a desire to give up or have feelings of hopelessness and even loneliness.
 
Being a Christian does not make us exempt from burn out, yet what makes us different from the world is how we manage burn out. There is a higher level of instruction for us to receive rest for our souls. The Bible instructs us on multiple occasions to come to our Savior when we are tired and need a refill.
 
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.
 
A yoke can be defined as a harness used by oxen and other animals to ease the work of carrying a large load. The word yoke was also culturally used to describe submission. When Jesus says, “my yoke is easy,” He is encouraging us to submit to Him in every way. “Easy,” in this Scripture can be described as good opposed to simple. Jesus wants us to know that we are submitting to something good. He is good and has good intentions toward us. His intention is to see us through hard times with identifying Him as the source that will refresh our lives. Furthermore, He is letting us know that submission isn’t this harsh dictatorship, yet a partnership. The Scripture goes on to say that you will find rest through submission. He is saying I am gentle and humble; therefore, we should not be afraid of His leadership.
 
What a beautiful partnership to be able to lay our burdens down in the presence of our Savior who cares for us. He cares about our stuff. I Peter 5:7 says “Cast all of your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” The things that we worry about, the things that we fuss over and the things that cause us burn out, are the very things He wants us to give to Him. Think about this, God did not design us to have the capacity to carry heavy loads. If we had this ability, we would not need for him to sustain us and we wouldn’t see Him as the only source for everything we need. We are again instructed in Psalms 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
 
So, how do we manage burn out? We get back to a place of desiring our Father. If sin is causing burn out, repent. If lack of boundaries is causing burn out, become comfortable with saying “no.” If time management is an issue, become a better steward of your time. These things can sever us from the One that can restore us. When these things cause burn out, we can become separated from our Savior which can make it hard to hear Him, experience His presence and receive direction from the parts of our lives that are confusing or uncertain.
 
We must remain disciples of Christ no matter what pressures we are under in life and remember this verse:
 
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint" Isaiah 40:28-31.
 
“God, we thank you for this time of fellowship. We know that every time we come to you and lay at your feet that you see our hearts. You see our minds, our thoughts. We thank you for “seeing us” -seeing beyond the surface and penetrating to the depths of our souls and hearts. Lord, deliver us from burn out. Help us to prioritize what you want us to prioritize. What you see as important Lord, make it important to us. Structure our thoughts. Structure our time. Structure our days. Let us lay aside every weight as you increase our desire for you. The desire that will burn in us forever. In Jesus name Amen.”

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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Psalm 55:22
Isaiah 40:28-31
Matthew 11:28-30
1 Peter 5:7

Questions to Reflect on:

1. What is causing you burn out?
2. Have you fallen off of your quiet time with the Lord? If so, what has caused that?
3. What is it that you currently need from the Lord?
4. What are some things you want him to take from you in exchange for restoration?
5. How does the Gospel help you see that we aren’t called to do everything?