We read John 3 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. I LOVE this LIFE chapter! God's plan for mankind is revealed here plainly! In verse 3 JESUS is telling one of the leading religious leaders, who SHOULD have known God's plan which had been revealed over and over in Scripture (see verse 10), THIS:
3 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
When Nicodemus didn't understand how this could be, JESUS proceeded to explain it to Him. Verses 16-17 cover it all!
16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
This is also covered very well in today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers!
The Delight Of Despair
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. — Revelation 1:17
It may be that like the apostle John you know Jesus Christ
intimately, when suddenly He appears with no familiar characteristic at all,
and the only thing you can do is to fall at His feet as dead. There are times
when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is
the awfulness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair; if you
are ever to be raised up, it must be by the hand of God.
“He laid His right hand upon me.” In the midst of the
awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The
right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the
right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is
ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that “underneath are the everlasting
arms,” full of sustaining and comfort and strength. When once His touch comes,
nothing at all can cast you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended
glory the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, and to say —
“Fear not.” His tenderness is ineffably sweet. Do I know Him like that?
When JESUS raises us up as that New Creation that never existed before (2 Corinthians 5:17) we will NEVER be up for judgement from God again! Look at John 3:18:18 He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation—he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.]
This IS the greatest GOOD NEWS that any of us have ever or will ever receive! Now that we have, we MUST share this Good News, reminding ourselves that God's will is that NONE should perish (2 Peter 3:9)! So, let's be about our Father's business of sharing LIFE! That's OUR part! AMEN! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "As You Find Me":
Shalom in Him!
