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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. (John 3:16-17 New Revised Standard Version Bible)
Happy Thursday, dear Reader! I pray this finds you well and blessed! I'm happy to report that Mr. Emmit Currie's knee replacement surgery went well and he should be on the road to mending as we read this passage. Praise be to God! I just called The Rev. Michael Dobbs for an update on his condition and he's still in the hosptial as of Wednesday afternoon, and doctors have ordered him to bed rest for two weeks as he is that contagious, to quote him. So, prayers for his two churches who will find themselves without his leadership for Holy Week and Easter. May God bless Michael with healing and his churches with peace. Pray for one another; pray for your leads, and pray for God to be glorified during this sacred time of Easter upon us!
This verse is the goalpost sign of years past, but it is the goal of our lives; to know and accept that God loves us so much that He gave us His only Son. For you youngsters, during NFL games on national television, a man would purposely buy seats under the field goal post and hold up a sign that simply said John 3:16. Many knew what it mean and to what it referred, but comics and some sincere people asked, "Who's John? And what does 3:16 refer to?" And I knew that to be quite true because from 1980 to 1986 I taught Bible at Pan American University (now UTRGV), and my predecessor said, "Don't take for granted these kids know anything about the Bible. And he said he would dedicate one class period to introducing them to the names of books in the Bible, and how the first number refers to the chapter, and the number after the colon refers to the verse, and that was very helpful. Those who did look it up began to understand the why behind showing the reference to what many consider the key verse in the Bible? The verse comes in the famous meeting Jesus had with Nick at Night; Nicodemus wanted to know more about Jesus and Jesus blew his mind by saying one must be born again, and making this awesome declaration of truth. God wanted the world to know that He does love the world and because of that great love, He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but may have eternal life.
The reality of the times was there was really no major emphasis being preached on eternal life. The consensus of most scholars of the time was that life was brief and when it ended that was it. I had friends of the Jewish faith who believed the only way they could live on was in the good memories of family and friends. Not a very attractive thought, but it was seen as more sensible and so it was embraced and accepted as truth. And here comes Jesus to teach something different; that God was love, that God loved us, and loved us so much He wanted us to live with Him for all eternity. The other option is mentioned in this verse, "perish," and reinforced by verse 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."
Salvation. Accepting that in Jesus we are saved from our sin, and saved into an abundant life. It means the start of a relationship with God through Jesus for today, tomorrow, and all eternity. It means basking in the love of God as loving Father, sheltering us under His wings as a loving mother hen, and living a life here that blesses others until we arrive to our eternal destination where we will reside with God for ever and ever. This is what Palm Sunday ushers in, and you and I have invitations and front row seats! And then we have the responsiblity to go and tell somebody about this.
PRAYER: Loving God of life, bless and protect Your children on this day. As we end our Lenten Journey, speak to our needs and remind us of Your eternal love. Put us in to serve anywhere and any way you want; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show others the love blessings you have received from the Lord!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
