Today's Scripture
John 3:16-21 Flower Pies
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
RJ's Devotion
What the passage says
The Message version describes this well know passage beautifully.
16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
19-21 “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” (John 3:16-21, The Message)
What does the passage mean to me/us?
John chapter 3 reminds us why God sent Jesus Christ into the world.
Jesus came to the world to share God’s grace. Jesus didn’t come to accuse anyone, who lives in the darkness. The Message says, “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was” (v. 17, The Message).
Sometimes, people do not want the light to expose the darkness they are living in. They fear that their wrongdoings will be exposed.
Anyone, however, who proclaims to live in the light, needs to realize that they couldn’t do anything without God’s help.
It is only through God we are saved, and it is only through God that we can do what we do.
Then comes the challenge: It is for the ones, who live in the light, to show the ones who are running against the light that we need to come toward the shining grace.
Like Jesus was sent to the world, we need to remember that we are sent to the world, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Lord, may we see the work of the Holy Spirit, in our lives, and share the light of Jesus to the world today. Be with us.
In Christ Name, we pray, AMEN
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