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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me to see how very much you love me! Amen.

"God loved the world so much," Jesus said, "that He gave His only son to you, so that everyone who believes in me may live forever with God. God sent me to save the world, not to judge it. Only those who don't believe will be judged."

If you have a pet or a favorite stuffed animal or blanket, you know that nothing can change your love for it.

Your dog can get old and slow, but you still want him to sleep at the foot of your bed every night and you cry buckets if he gets sick. Your teddy bear can lose all its fur and even its color, and you still carry it everywhere.

If that's how much you love a toy or a pet, multiply that by a billion to know how much God loves us! In this week's Gospel (John 3:16-18), God reminds us that every single person in the world is God's favorite.

God loves us more than you can love a favorite blanket, the cat you've grown up with or even your best friend. Jesus said that God the Father loved the world so much, He sent Jesus, His only Son, to come into the world for a while and prove it - and Jesus loves us so much, He died for us!

That's a lot of love - and, like you love your teddy bear without question, even when he's old and worn, Jesus said He doesn't judge us, either. Even when we make big mistakes, He's there waiting, loving us and hoping we'll change for the better.

If you love a pet or a stuffed animal, you want it around forever. God wants the same thing for us: to live together forever, in heaven. Pets and toys may wear out, but Jesus promised that God's love never does![[In-content Ad]]

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