SALVATION 101 - JOHN 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

 The heart of salvation: “For God so loved”

The breadth of salvation: “For God so loved the world”

The act of salvation: “For God so loved that He gave”

The Savior of salvation: “That He gave His only begotten Son”

The means of salvation: “That whosoever believes in Him”

The need of salvation:  “That whosoever believes may not perish”

The promise of salvation: “That whosoever believes may not perish but have eternal life”

-- Rev. David J. Kalas

#5891

TRUSTING THE COACH

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

One day, many years ago, at my young daughter's coed softball game, I noticed her coach standing near third base. During a play where the batter hit a ball into the outfield, one of the other kids on the team was running from second to third. The coach was waving him home. The coach could see that the ball was not yet back in the infield, so the runner would be safe at home. But when the boy rounded third he pulled up and looked to see where the ball was. It took him a minute and by then it was too late for him to advance to home. The next batter struck out, which ended the inning leaving the runner still on third. As the coach and the base runner walked to the bench area, the coach put his hand on the player's shoulder and said to him, "You can trust me. I'm your coach. You can trust me."

In some respects, that's what God is like. He is our Coach -- Someone who we can put our complete trust in, even though we can't see what's happening elsewhere. God sees things we can't. He knows what is best for us. He says to us, "You can trust Me. I'm your Coach. You can trust Me!" 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

#5890

DOUBTING IN THE DARKNESS

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV)

Last spring I had a memorable day. My daughter graduated from college, I turned fifty years old, and I spoke at her commencement -- all on the same day. But the most memorable line of the day involved none of that. A man named David Winter had been president of her school for over a quarter of a century. Toward the end of his term, as he was looking forward to retirement, he suffered a disease that over a period of three weeks robbed him of his sight. As we processed up to the graduation platform, he had to hold the arm of another to guide him. And in his words of greeting to the students and parents, he said, "Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light." 

-- John Ortberg in “Faith & Doubt”

#5889

WORRY CHANGES NOTHING

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.”  (Matthew 6:27)

Worry is irrelevant. It alters nothing. When was the last time you solved a problem by worrying about it? Imagine someone saying, “I got behind in my bills, so I resolved to worry my way out of debt. And, you know, it worked! A few sleepless nights, a day of puking and hand wringing. I yelled at my kids and took some pills, and -- glory to worry -- money appeared on my desk.”

It doesn’t happen! Worry changes nothing. You don’t add one day to your life or one bit of life to your day by worrying.

But how can we stop doing so? Paul offers a two-pronged answer: God’s part and our part. Our part includes prayer and gratitude. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” (Philippians 4:6, emphasis added)

Want to worry less? Then pray more. Rather than look forward in fear, look upward in faith. 

-- Max Lucado in “Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch”

#5888

WINNING THROUGH DEFEAT

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”  (Romans:28 NLT)

If we win all the time -- or if we think we're winning when in fact we're not, for sometimes we fool ourselves -- the elements of life get out of proportion.  As a matter of fact, we need an occasional defeat to help us remember that God is God. Many people in public life -- especially entertainers, athletes, and politicians -- come to believe their own press releases and to think they're above the rules of ordinary human beings.  Wealth does the same thing to many people.

What happens in these more prominent positions happens also at every other level of life.  We see it on the playground, at the community club, in the classroom, and, saddest of all, in the family circle.  It's painful to see someone broken by defeat, but sometimes it is the most important experience a person will ever have.

It can be hard to know God if we're so enchanted with our own successes that we become unduly fascinated with ourselves. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “If Experience Is Such a Good Teacher Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?”

#5887

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”  (Colossians 1:9-12 ESV)

The prayer of intercession means prayer for others. It is our faint echo of Christ’s everlasting intercession for us before the throne of God. It is love and concern for people lifted to the highest point, as we bring them before the throne of God in prayer. I do not know why God should need our prayers, or why God gives the unspeakable privilege of helping Him in His world; but I am sure God does. I am sure that human intercession adds something to the creative and redemptive energy even of God Himself. I am sure that the people God can most depend on are the pray-ers who lift up other people before Him, and hold them in prayer. 

-- Samuel M. Shoemaker in “We Believe in Prayer”

#5886

A PRAYING CHURCH IN TODAY’S WORLD

“The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous person (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God -- it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].”  (James 5:16b AMP)

It is reported that Mary, Queen of Scots, once said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more that I fear all the armies on the face of the earth.” That was probably the last time anyone feared the prayers of the church.

The world does not fear the church – it barely tolerates it. Generally, the world perceives the church as no longer a player in world affairs, only an observer,… of a culture that has long since abandoned Christian presuppositions as a serious voice in shaping the values of modern society. The church is a quaint relic of the past that lends a certain charm to the neighborhood, a holdover from bygone days, big but harmless, like a beached whale.

For many, the crucial question facing the church is will it survive. I can answer that question. Yes, the church will survive. God has never left Himself without a witness, and His church will still be around when the curtain comes down on this [world]. It may not survive in its present form, but God help us if we’re interested only in surviving. Christ intends that His church do a lot more. 

-- Ronald Dunn in “Don’t Just Stand There, Pray Something: The Incredible Power of Intercessory Prayer”

#5885

CITIZENS OF HEAVEN

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”  (Philippians 3:20-21 NIV)

When you received Jesus as your Savior, you began to live in two homes -- earth and heaven. You were born the first time into your earthly family. Now you have been born again into the family of God. You are a citizen of both worlds.

Your new heavenly home is the biggest one. It is God’s home. It is yours because you are united to Jesus and heaven is where He lives.

But we don’t need to wait until we die to visit heaven. Prayer is the airline to our heavenly homeland. We walk heaven’s streets and view its wonders each time we fellowship with the Lord. 

-- Ben Jennings in “The Arena of Prayer” 

#5884

A PREFERENCE FOR GOD

“Then Jesus came to His disciples and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”  (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

According to the final verses of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus met the disciples to give them direction and the promise of His presence. The Bible is filled with stories of people who received direction from God. Through the centuries, faithful disciples have discovered some essential qualities for the life and stance that permits us to receive God’s direction.

Practicing a preference for God and God’s will is the place to begin. That means putting God ahead of all else in our list of priorities. This is not only the way to receive direction but also the way to a joyful and faithful walk with God every day. Preference for God profoundly affects our lives. We not only receive direction but find our lives transformed as we learn to turn to God and seek to walk with God…

Begin practicing a preference for God and you will discover a growing capacity to receive and respond to God’s direction of your life. 

-- Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5883

A DEEP COMPASSION

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”  (Romans 12:15 ESV)

Mary Jo Meadows defines compassion as "the quivering of the heart in response to another's suffering" and notes that "compassionate beings… cannot bear to see suffering and remain unengaged." Compassion is the quality of being able to "get inside the skin of another" in order to respond with loving concern and care. Jack Kornfield writes about the truly loving person breathing in the pain of the world and breathing out compassion. That is how deep compassion is, and how closely connected to others.

Each life influences and affects the other in some way. The more we see our world as a vast interconnectedness of all beings, the more drawn we will be to compassion because we will see how much one life is related to and affected by another. This spiritual oneness is at the heart of Christianity. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches. We are the body of Christ (John 15; 1 Corinthians 12). The life pulsing through us is the life of God giving us spiritual vitality.

Probably no quality more identifies a Christian than that of compassion.

-- Joyce Rupp in “The Cup of Our Life” 

#5882

KNOWING GOD AND OUR SINFULNESS

“Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  (Romans 3:19-23 NLT)

Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing neither God nor our own sinfulness makes for false peace and the absence of truth. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance, because He shows us both God and our own wretchedness and He brings true peace through the cross.  

-- Adapted from Blaise Pascal

#5881

NEW LIFE, NEW PERSPECTIVE

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”  (Colossians 3:1-3 NLT)

Paul explains true Christian behavior – putting on the new self by accepting Christ and regarding the earthly nature as dead. We change our moral and ethical behavior by letting Christ live within us, so that He can shape us into what we should be.

Setting our sights on heaven means striving to put heaven’s priorities into daily practice. Letting heaven fill our thoughts means concentrating on the eternal rather than the temporal.

“For you died” means that we should have as little desire for this world as a dead person would have. The Christian’s real home is where Christ lives. This truth gives us a different perspective on our life here on earth, looking at life from God’s perspective and seeking what He desires. This is the antidote to materialism; we gain the proper perspective on material goods when we take God’s view of them. The more we regard the world around us as God does, the more we live in harmony with Him. We must not become too attached to what is only temporary. 

– From the “Life Application Study Bible” (NLT)

#5880

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,… those who mourn,… the meek,… those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,… the merciful,… the pure in heart,… the peacemakers,… those who are persecuted because of righteousness… Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me… You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ”  (Excerpts from Matthew 5:3-15 NIV)

These blessed people really are the light of the world! They may only be one insignificant candle, but they give light to an entire house. When people in a dark world see the work of these citizens of the kingdom, the people give glory to God because they know there is still hope for this world!

This is who we are called to be as citizens of the kingdom of God. We may be amazed or surprised – that is exactly the response [Jesus] intended! The Beatitudes are not placid statements spoken softly. They are exclamations. We step out into the morning sun after a foggy night and exclaim, “Wow! Look at that sunshine!” We hear a great piece of music and come away exclaiming, “Wow! That’s really Beethoven!” The Beatitudes are similar exclamations. They exclaim “Wow! Look at the happiness of those who are citizens of the kingdom of God! This is really living; we just never saw it before!” 

-- James A. Harnish in “What Will You Do with King Jesus?”

#5879

THE PLUSH SEATS, PLEASE

“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus, saying, ‘Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.’ And He said to them, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ They said to Him, ‘Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.’”  (Mark 10:35-37 NKJV)

Within the New Testament, there is no indication that Christians should expect to be healthy, wealthy, and successful in this present age. ... Christ never told His disciples that they would get an Academy Award for their performances, but He did tell them to expect to have troubles.

This age is interested in success, not suffering. We can identify with James and John who wanted choice seats in the kingdom. We might even ask for reclining chairs and soft music. 

-- Billy Graham in “The Faithful Christian” 

#5878

LIVE UP TO YOUR NAME

“Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure -- not to put it too severely -- to all of you.”  (2 Corinthians 2:5 ESV)

When I was a child, my parents gave the same speech on the first day of every school year. It began with the standard lines: Be good, work hard, mind your teachers, and pay attention. It concluded with a gentle reminder: “Remember, you’re a Wilson. Live up to your name!”

I was less than enthusiastic about that speech as a child, but I found myself giving it to my own kids as I packed them off to school each fall. Being part of a family, or any community, means that your actions have the power to bless or harm many others. It’s not all about you.

This is Paul’s word to the Corinthian church. The behavior of one affects all. We are not lone rangers, responsible only to God. We are a community of believers, responsible also to one another. When one of us upholds the name of Christ, it brings honor to Him and advances the gospel. However, when one of us fails to live in a manner worthy of our calling, it is an affront not only to Christ, but also to the members of His body.

So be good, work hard, pay attention, and remember you are a Christian. Everything you do reflects on our family’s reputation. Live up to your name! 

-- Lawrence W. Wilson in “Light from the Word: Summer 2016”

#5877

 

DEPENDENCE – Part 3 of 3

We must transfer the burden of responsibility to the Lord and then leave it there: “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Each demand upon us is in reality a demand upon Him. Our weakness is His opportunity. The disciples’ lack of bread (to feed the thousands) did not disconcert our Lord (Matthew 15:29-39). He knew what He would do. He always does.

When we fix our eyes on God, we are less inclined to see our own frailty and feel sorry for ourselves. We see our inability not as an impediment but as the very means by which we untie the hands of the Almighty. Then we hear Him say, as He said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do… because of My mighty hand” (Exodus 6:1).

Relying on God has to begin every day before anything else is done. If you have trouble believing, ask God to help you. Growing faith, like every other virtue, is a job for God! You must ask Him to increase your measure of faith, praying as Mother Teresa prayed, “Lord, give me faith that Your work may be done.” 

-- Adapted from “A Beacon in The Darkness: Reflecting God’s Light in Today’s Word” by John Roper

#5876

DEPENDENCE – Part 2 of 3

Busyness is not a Christian virtue and spiritual maturity is not measured by the amount of work we accomplish – no matter what we’re busy doing or how much we get done…

Let’s be honest about it: So often we think that everything depends upon us. We figure if anything is to get done, we’ve got to roll up our sleeves, pitch in, and do it. And so we labor on, working seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, wearing ourselves out, wearying ourselves… and missing out on all our God intends for us.

The Lord focused His anger on the Pharisees who burdened His people with such effort-ridden activity. He was never angry with those they burdened. He called them to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28). But it made Him very angry when the clergy taught people that God’s work must be done by self-effort. That’s what made them so weary and destroyed their will to go on. And it’s what makes the way for us so long, too.

Solomon wrote: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat -- for He grants sleep to those He loves.” (Psalm 127:1-2) 

-- Adapted from “A Beacon in The Darkness: Reflecting God’s Light in Today’s Word” by John Roper

#5875

DEPENDENCE – Part 1 of 3

Dependence. It is the place where we learn that all things are done by faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and without it nothing enduring gets done.

The Pharisees once asked Jesus what they could do to work for God. Jesus replied: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29). How inconceivable to think that God would be so hard up that He must rely on human beings to get His work done! How audacious of us to think we must do it. Only God can bring salvation to the world. Our work is not to work, but to believe in the work He has finished in Christ and to enter into His rest. That’s true of our own salvation as well as the salvation of others…

If we are to do anything at all for ourselves and for others, it must be done by faith. “Without Me,” Jesus reminded His disciples, “you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 

-- Adapted from “A Beacon in The Darkness: Reflecting God’s Light in Today’s Word” by John Roper

#5874

SAVED FROM A SINKING BOAT

Quite dramatically it dawns upon you: There is a God. There's more to life than what I have been seeing. There is a God. And God makes a claim on my life.

Perhaps at the very same moment, you get a whole different view of yourself. Scales fall off. It is horrible. "I've been living for me. I've been curved in on myself all these years… All the love lost! And the betrayals -- by neglect as much as anything! The blindness! Woe is me. I'm a mess that can't be fixed. I've got to close all these thoughts up and get out of here." The boat is sinking.

But then, if you are blessed, just as soon as the horror of self-knowledge is embraced, there comes another feeling of presence. A gentle voice which speaks from the depths of the soul, even from the depths of the universe. "It's all right. Do not be afraid. I know who you are. Forgiveness is Mine to grant. I'm not here to destroy your life. I'm here to remake it." It feels like death at first, but then there is new life. "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV)

The sudden apprehension of God's reality creates a sudden knowledge of self. And you perceive a horrible gap between yourself and God. But immediately into the breach God pours love and forgiveness in Christ. There is an intuition that God knows full well who you are, loves you anyway, and empowers you to change. Beneath the crisis of the meaning of life, whatever form it takes, God gives a sense that all is well and you are kept in love. God lifts you out of the sinking boat. 

– Adapted from Gerrit Scott Dawson in “Heartfelt”

#5873

JUDGMENT OR SALVATION

“If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)

When God comes among us there are always and only two possible consequences: judgment or salvation. There is judgment if we close our eyes to His coming or refuse to receive Him. In that case, we are dependent on God’s justice and mercy. Or there is salvation and healing if we welcome Him with faith and trust.  “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12 ESV) 

– David Winter in “Forty Days with the Messiah”

#5872