November 20, 2022
April 27, 2022
John 3:17-21
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
God so loved the world . . .
With those words, we are convicted. God loves us so much he created this special place for us and gave it to us – asking only that we love him.
And we chose too often to do the opposite. When things are hard – it is easy enough to love him and call out to him. When things are going well – it is too easy to ignore him and choose this beautiful world he created over him.
We are all guilty of it. Our lives – the ones we live from day to day – are simply a microcosm of the Jewish history.
We are called from the vast wastelands like Abram. We are given a beautiful relationship – the Covenant – with the Father. We are blessed beyond measure for following him.
Then things get good. We become complacent. We no longer feel the need for the relationship because “we” are doing so well. We break the Covenant. We get upset when things begin to fall apart for us because we are no longer in that relationship. Except, we don’t accept our culpability in what is happening. That is God’s fault.
God sees it. God knows it. God still loves us. So much does he love us that eventually – after we continue to break the Covenants he makes with us – that he sends his only Son to shoulder the burden of our recklessness, our fickleness, our choices to ignore him in the good times. It is for his son to reconcile us to him as the last living sacrifice.
Yet, we continue – to this day – to choose the easy path.
Thank you, God, for loving the World.
At least that’s what I heard Him say…
What I Heard Him Say 