by David Brenneman
John 3:16 is probably the most famous of Bible passages. An often second might be "Jesus wept".
Consider what Dr. Charles Stanley said in what's in that picture. Jesus takes no pleasure in the pouring out of souls entering into Hell. The choice is in the hands of the living in this world today.
My Dear Reader, as long as you have been blessed and granted by God to still have the breath of life, that choice is on your plate.
When Jesus arose from the dead and returned to Heaven, choice to live or die, to enter His Heaven or to be consigned to Hell happened.
We must decide. Even indecision is a decision. There's no fence to sit on. Satan owns that fence. There's no waiting till the last minute because you, my Friend, have no idea when that minute is. There's no hoping that God will weigh out what good you did versus your bad...without salvation in Christ Jesus alone, Hell is the destination.
We must decide to follow Jesus. We must choose to receive His free gift of salvation. We. It's not a given based on good behavior or good intentions. As the saying goes the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Millions per day wake up in Hell wondering why they are there. They are told. It's because they rejected the offer of salvation in Christ Jesus.
In Christ is a new life, it's not just a ticket out of Hell. It's a choice to please the one who took our judgment upon Himself. We were dead in our wrongdoings. We were unable to save ourselves. It's out of gratitude for His sacrifice that we live the way He says to live.
There in the book of Romans in the Bible it says "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”" Chapter 10, verses 8-13 NASB.
Going about your day doing only what interests you you will miss the life He intended for you.
It was our sins that held Jesus on the cross. He could have come down off of it at any time. You and I and billions more are why He stayed there until it was indeed finished.
We think we know what will make us happy. We haven't a clue. We haven't seen anything yet.
My hope and purpose in this blog is that someone might come to Christ and find salvation.
Jesus loves you. He wants to save you but you must choose to be saved.
You my Friend must decide that it's important enough. All who know the difference between right and wrong are all in the water or standing on it with Jesus.
READ this differently.
For God so loved YOU that He gave His only begotten Son that if YOU believe in Him YOU will not perish but have eternal life.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Jesus wept? Jesus wept at the depth of the grief He felt being among those weeping for Lazarus who thought there was no hope. In Christ we have hope, knowing that whether we are alive when He returns or have passed away before that happens, He IS our Savior and we ARE safe with Him.
The Official who pleaded with Jesus to save his son. "Help my unbelief!".
God can help you find Him.
I often realize that Nicodemus and Saul were taught the same things at nearly the same time by the Pharisees they trained under. To see how Nicodemus turned to Jesus to be saved while it took until after His resurrection for Saul just reinforces something else Jesus said. The fields are white for harvest, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. Which also takes me to the passage that says that the world is the Lord's and all it contains.
You who read this need to choose. You need to. I can't do it for you. Nobody can.
You must be the one.
My prayer is for all the places that the Spirit will take this message.
You can find out what living life is really about. If you read the rest of the book of John chapter 3 you will read about the need to be born again in Christ. When we do, we're given a new life to live. We have a new beginning. It really is the same as being born. All things are made new. We learn about the love of God for us every day. We learn of the life He has in mind for us that will bring out His best in us. We learn how to live a life that pleases Him, becoming more like Him. Not so dissimilar to how parents see themselves in their children.
Please don't put off this decision anymore or even again.
This is a limited time offer. There is a day fixed by God the Father for Jesus to return. We know not when that is. We just know that it heralds the judgment to come. The book of Revelation.
Won't you choose Jesus today?
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