Gift of Life

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." John 3:16 NRSV

It is difficult to comprehend a love as great as the love God has for the people of earth. Yet, it is there. His desire is not that anyone should die; but, that all should live. It is evidenced by the willingness of Jesus to die on the cross, carrying our sins in his body. It is evidenced by the sacrifice that our Lord, Jesus made for us. Paul wrote to the Romans (Rom 3:21-25) "But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,  since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith."

How great is the love of the one who was willing to die so that all who believe could live in God's presence for all eternity! Thanks be to God for this gift of life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Col 3 Be Kind

Colossians 3 NIV

Compassion, kindness, gentleness,
patience....

A friend recently tried to do a favor for someone; even though he had no clue as to who it was that he was trying to help. He was just trying to do the right thing. He was trying to help someone in need. For trying to do the right thing he was majorly disrespected. We live in a world where people can really be ugly to others even when they are being served with the best of intentions by others. Compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience are often greeted with anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language. I am confident that this will not stop this friend from doing the right thing in the future nor should it ever stop us from living life according to the love and peace that we have received in Christ.

St. Paul reminds us that whatever we do we should do at it with all our hearts, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. He reminds us to say and do all that we can to promote peace among us; to respect and to love one another. Do not let the haters in this world stop you from living life in Christ, pray for them. And, whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 3:1-21 Jesus is the Light that Gives Eternal Life

John 3:1-21 NIV
Today, in our reading, we have one of the most well known scripture verses: John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

I have a few friends who are non-Trinitarian. I remember one of them asking me what my favorite scripture was. At the time it was John 3:16. She was totally aghast. Her reply was something like: "I should have known." You see, there is something in John 3:16 that I had never thought about and in fact I still do not see how it means what she thought it meant. She felt we (Trinitarians) use it to justify our belief in the Trinity. I had never thought about it that way. I saw and still see John 3:16 as a  reminder that God was willing to give his only begotten Son for us and as a promise that all who believe in His Son will have eternal light.

The light has come into the world. The light is Jesus the Christ. Those who receive the light will inherit eternal life.

God's Peace - Pr. J