For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Many look at this passage as one that is meant for little children to memorize. We have seen it on T-shirts, in books, and even signs held up in professional wrestling matches. The fact is this ”memory verse” is not one that is only meant for children. This verse is the crux at which the Bible turns from “law dependence” to “grace reliance”.  John 3:16 is vital in the understanding of both the New and Old Testament, because  it is the portion that ties them together and gives them meaning. The Old Testament sets up this event, and the New Testament reflects on it.

Imagine the situation that God was putting himself in. He was giving his one and only son to a world that will eventually humiliate and kill him. This wasn’t just sending your son to his first day of kindergarten…Jesus was going to die. God, however, loved the people that inhabited Earth so much that he was willing to give his own life to prove it. God had designed the universe in a way that made atonement for sin an inevitable necessity. The consistent character of God made it so that he could not reverse that predetermined decision. Blood had to be paid for sin. Since there was no perfect man, God came down in the incarnate Christ and took care of our most unpayable debt. A debt that we didn’t even have the right to attempt to pay back.

My thoughts move to Abraham in the Old Testament. He was willing to sacrifice his one and only son, because God asked him to. God, however, provided a ram because Abraham was faithful. In the same way, God provided Jesus Christ because the debt was too great.

It might be cliche’ to say that God is love, but often this phrase is used without knowing the true meaning.  Jesus is the picture of this love. Let’s reflect on what this truly means today. If we take it seriously, it will change the way we live our lives.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos.  You can find the original post here:  http://otherwordsdotnet.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/terminal-love/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

I was discouraged to say the least. Resting on a rock in the coolness of the night, I began to pray and look at the vast ocean of stars above my head. What was my purpose? Why was I here? I knew that God had more for me to do and experience but I was getting old. Much of my discouragement came from the fact that I knew I was getting old, and I had no sons to take care of my estate after my death. Call me old fashioned, but I just really thought it was important to pass on my possessions to the next generation.

As I rested and prayed, God revealed to me that I would be the father of many. I immediately thought of my age and my energy level. Even if this was true….how? My wife was past the age in which she could conceive a child (not to mention the lack of desire to take part in the “creative process”). I laugh about it now, because God has always been faithful to his word and I tend to listen to my fears. I was scared, confused and thought God was having a mental breakdown and needed a vacation. He promised me that day with a blood covenant of various animals. I suppose God knew something I didn’t know….like always.

Fast forward: God did what he said he would do. I found out, not only was God referring to my own blood line, but the promise He made also extended to people who embraced His son (very clever). Now, I have the opportunity to watch this story play out and I have made a couple observations about my “children”.

The one observation I can personally relate to has to do with God’s provision. Generation after generation has made the same mistake. No matter how many time God provides, we think that it was all a coincidence and God couldn’t possible do it again. We all know not to take God for granted, but this sentiment is taken so far to the extreme to the point where we don’t grant God the opportunity to show His power.

Finally, my children fail to remember that God can make future impossibilities a current reality. In the process our lives are changed and our capacity for deeper faith is increased. It is a difficult process to embrace, but pays infinite dividends if we choose to allow God to work.

Children, sometime soon, look into the sky and notice all the stars and realize something very important.  God’s blessings are not limited and He hasn’t even scratched the surface with you.

-Abraham

This is a post written by Rev. DeCrastos.  To see the original post go here:  http://otherwordsdotnet.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/abrahams-journal/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.