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For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should have Eternal life and not perish. John 3:16
I learned this Bible verse as a child. And throughout the years I have seen it posted on banners at football games and quoted on billboards along the roadside.
This verse is a common thing that people encounter all the time. But have you ever paused long enough to think about what it means?
I look at this way…
God, the creator of the universe and everything in it, loved the world.
The world –meaning He loves you and me, and everyone.
Gave His only Son to come to earth as a human and fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. His Son, Jesus, grew up and lived among us.
Then, at the age of 33, Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead three days later.
Why? He was a symbolic sacrifice for us to demonstrate how much God, our Father and creator, loves us.
Think about that for a moment. God loved us SO much that He would sacrifice His only Son to show us how much He loves us. Let that sink in and think about how GREAT that sacrifice is and what it says.
Now here’s the catch. This sacrifice was made so that whoever believes in it should have everlasting life.
This means that if you believe with all your heart and soul that God did this for us, you will go to heaven when you die and live there for eternity.
But it is more than just believing. You see the demons believe in this sacrifice and know that it is true – but they live for themselves, doing whatever they please.
To have assurance of eternal life with the Lord in heaven one must believe in Jesus and His resurrection AND build a personal relationship with Him.
So let me ask you… if you were to die today, can you honestly say that you’d go to heaven?
If you’re not sure, let me encourage you to pause and ask the Lord to come into your heart and reveal Himself to you. If you really mean it, He will and I promise you that your life will be changed forever.
Now I know what some of you might say or think... Joy, you're getting awful preachy. I'm fine the way I am. But what if... (God forbid) you're wrong?! What then?
ReplyDeleteIf I died a minute from now, I know that my soul would be in Heaven with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I gave Him my heart when I was 9 years old in Vacation Bible School, and He became my personal savior. Although my feet may have fallen off the path at times, I am satisfied in my spirit that I will spend Eternity with My Lord and My God. I know what it is like to lose a child...mine was involuntary. God gave His Son voluntarily to redeem us from our sins....and Jesus Christ obeyed His Father knowing that God would have to turn His back on His Only Son. Could any parent out there today be willing to do that???
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