That is how much He loves you

'I could ask my Father for thousands of angels...and he would send them.' MATTHEW 26:53

The cross is a universal symbol of Christianity; it's almost impossible to go anywhere without seeing it on a steeple or headstone. How did an instrument of torture come to represent forgiveness and hope for so many? After all, we don't wear little gold guillotines round our necks, or display replicas of firing squads on our church walls. The answer can be found in the cross itself. Its horizontal beam symbolises the breadth of God's love; its vertical beam symbolises the depth and height of His love. It's why God can be just and kind without lowering His standards, why He can dispense truth and mercy, and why He can redeem us without sanctioning our sin. John said, 'God loved the world: He gave his...only Son....that...by believing in him, anyone can have...lasting life' (John 3:16 TM). Thankfully it doesn't say God loved only the wealthy or the famous or the beautiful or the sober or the successful, or we'd all be in trouble! No, if you live in 'the world' you're included by God. Jesus didn't have to die, He chose to! He told His captors, 'I could ask my Father for thousands of angels...and he would send them instantly...But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what is happening now?' As Max Lucado says, 'The force behind the hammer wasn't an angry mob...the hand squeezing the handle wasn't a Roman infantryman...the verdict...wasn't decided by jealous Jews. Jesus himself chose the nails...Had the soldier hesitated Jesus himself would have swung the hammer.' That's how much He loves you.

From: THE WORD FOR TODAY at http://www.ucb.co.uk/index.cfm?itemid=88