Chad’s Testimony: How 1 John 4:9 Proves God Showed His Love Through Jesus

Frank Wible
Sep 21, 2025
3 min read

Chad sat in his car one late evening, staring at the empty gas station lot around him. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than he realized, a weight pressing on his chest. He had lost almost everything in the last year, his marriage, his job, and his sense of purpose.

Chad sat in the silence of his truck, broken and searching for a reason to keep going, not realizing God was already reaching out.

He whispered under his breath, “God, where are You?” He had grown up in church but never took the message seriously. Now, broken and desperate, he wondered if God even noticed him at all.

In that silence, his phone buzzed with a text from an old friend: “Thinking of you. Read 1 John 4:9 tonight. God loves you more than you know.” Chad hesitated but opened his Bible app to the verse.

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. The words cut through the fog of despair, speaking directly into his heart.

Chad thought about his failures and the guilt he carried. He had tried to numb his pain with alcohol and late-night distractions, but nothing filled the void. Could it be true that God showed His love even for someone like him?

He remembered moments with his son, a boy who still looked up to him despite the chaos. Chad longed to be a father worth following, but shame whispered that he was too far gone.

That night, instead of heading to the bar like usual, Chad drove home and prayed for the first time in years. He asked God to prove His love to him, to show him a reason to keep going.

Over the following weeks, little things began to change. A coworker invited him to a men’s Bible study. A neighbor offered to help fix his broken lawnmower and shared his own story of redemption. These weren’t coincidences, they were God’s fingerprints.

God’s love often shows up through the kindness of others, in moments that seem small but speak volumes.

During one Bible study, the leader read John 3:16, and Chad realized it was the same truth as 1 John 4:9. God didn’t just talk about love, He proved it by sending His Son so that men like Chad could live again.

Slowly, the bottle lost its grip. The anger that used to explode in his heart began to soften. Chad felt hope for the first time in years. The truth of God showed His love became the anchor he had been missing.

His son noticed the difference. Instead of broken promises, Chad was present. Instead of harsh words, he offered patience. Love was growing in him, not because of his own effort, but because Christ was changing him.

One Sunday morning, Chad stood in church and raised his hands in surrender. Tears streamed down his face as he thanked God for not giving up on him. He wasn’t just surviving anymore—he was living through Christ.

The verse 1 John 4:9 stayed close to his heart. Whenever doubt tried to creep in, he reminded himself: God showed His love. It wasn’t a feeling, it was a fact sealed in history.

Chad began sharing his testimony with other men who felt lost. He told them, “If God can rescue me, He can rescue you. His love doesn’t run out, no matter how far you’ve fallen.”

Looking back, Chad realized that his lowest point was also the moment God reached him most clearly. His story was proof that when God showed His love through Jesus, it was enough to heal, redeem, and give life to any man willing to believe.

Where have you most clearly seen that God showed His love?