John 3:16-17 "For God love the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17- God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."
--To "believe" is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us, it is to put Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting His words as reliable, and relying on Him for the power to change.
John 3:18 "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son."
--People often try to protect themselves from their fears by putting their faith in something they do or have; good deeds, skill or intelligence, money or possessions. But only God can save us from the one thing that we really need to fear-- eternal condemnation. We believe in God by recognizing the insufficiency of our own efforts to find salvation and by asking Him to do His work in us. When Jesus talks about unbelievers, He means those who reject or ignore Him completely, not those who have momentary doubts.
John 3:19-21 "And the judgment is based on this fact; God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20- All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21- But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."
--Many people don't want their lives exposed to God's light because they are afraid of what will be revealed. They don't want to change. Don't be surprised when these same people are threatened by your desire to obey God and do what is right, because they are afraid that the light in you may expose some of the darkness in their lives. Rather than giving in to discouragement, keep praying that they will come to see how much better it is to live in light than in darkness.
Closing Thoughts - The world rams at your door; Jesus taps at your door. The world screams for your allegiance; Jesus softy and tenderly request it. The world promises flashy pleasures; Jesus promises a quiet dinner with God. "I will come in and eat."
--Which voice do you hear?
Though God does not tell us all the details about eternity, He provides us with the road map to get there. Eternal life is available only to those who trust in His Son. Though we have earned death through sin, in Jesus we are brought to new, eternal life. -And thus this is the reason He died.......
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