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For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

In the apostle Paul’s first letter to young Pastor Timothy, he emphasizes the profound love and concern that our heavenly Father has for all people at all times. He urges his readers to have the same mindset. Christians are called to pray for all people because we are to love all people and be concerned for their every need.

But as much as we may try to model our thoughts and actions after our heavenly Father’s, we’re bound to fail because we’re bound by our selfishness and sin. We’re not alone. Paul openly confessed his personal struggle with living up to the perfect standard he was inspired to present to his readers. “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do,” he once lamented. “I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” Finally, he cried out in anguish, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” How thankful Paul was to know the answer to that critical question! “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25).

But Jesus wasn’t just the answer for Paul. He’s the answer—the only answer—for you, for me, and for all people. And the reason for that is simple, because as Paul points out, “there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” We need someone to stand between us and our heavenly Father to fix the problem of our sin and selfishness. We need someone who loves us so much and is so concerned for every need that he’s willing to sacrifice everything—even his very life—for us. And that’s what we have in Jesus, “who gave himself as a ransom for all people.”

Should we be surprised? Not at all. Like Father, like Son! Jesus’ love for us and all people perfectly reflects the love our heavenly Father has for the world. And it’s meant to inspire our love for all people.

Dear Jesus, help me love others as you love me. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.