A Lamp to my Feet: John 3:16

This week we are looking at a verse that is familiar to anyone who owns a Bible or has ever set foot in a church building or attending a revival of some kind: John 3:16.

John 3:16 (ESV)

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

The reason I chose this verse for this week is because we (in the United States) celebrate Thanksgiving this week. While we have a lot of things to be thankful for, especially in this country, the one thing that all Christians should reflect on this week is the Love that God demonstrated towards us by putting his Son on the cross. Even this exercise, of thinking of what God did for us in that moment, is overdone in churches today. It has become an exercise that is meaningless, unfortunately.

I encourage you to take advantage of the short verse this week, and one that you probably already have memorized, and do an in-depth study of it. You will be surprised at how much meaning is packed into those twenty-four words. Through your study of the verse I hope that it’s truth becomes even more real to you today and will begin to show you just how amazing God’s Love is.

I look forward to reading your findings as you share them later in the week.

Have fun!!

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Love Never Ends

This morning I had something happen to me that I have heard other people talk and write about. As I was praying this morning God opened my eyes to understand something more than I ever have in the past. This was not during meditation on a verse, or during the study of a verse or passage. This was through prayer. God opened my eyes to just how crazy in love he is with us.

If you don’t mind I am just going to write what I wrote in my prayer (I tend to write my prayers instead of speak them verbally):

Lord, you are a God who helps in times of need. You help those that you have called to yourself eternally and you also help us as we need it on this earth.

(even now, I need your help in this early hour to free my mind from all of its distractions).

You even help us when our love for you is not where is should be.

Your love compels you.

You love compels you so that even when we fight your call, you continue to pull us toward you.

If you were not compelled by your love, then whatever else compelled you would not be as great, as eternal.

“Love never ends.” – 1 Corinthians 13:8

Your love sent your Son.
Your love sustained Him.
Your love nailed Him to the Cross.
Your love allows us to participate.
Your love gives us the hope of nailing our sins to that cross.
Your love allows us to beat death with your Son.
Your love promises a future resurrection because of His.
Your love promises eternity with you, through your Son.

Words alone cannot adequately express the thankfulness in my heart.

“But be doers of the word.” – James 1:22a

Lord, I am beginning to understand.

Thank you for helping me to understand why you require and desire action from us. Thank you for sticking around while it took me a wile to see this truth.

God, please forgive me for a lifetime of not demonstrating love towards you!

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

God, help me to walk this way for you. Help me to not only demonstrate love for you through my thoughts and words, but also through my actions. Help me to be bold.

-Amen.

In the Hands of God

Psalm 37:7a,8b (New King James Version)

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;…Do not fret—it only causes harm.

God is my refuge, my strength, my comforter.

In the world’s eyes I should be frightened about how this is going to work out. In my case right now, which job am I going to get. I am waiting patiently, on Him to do His work, and because of that I am not scared. Why should I be? I am in the hand’s of God, of my Creator who loves me! No reason to be scared when that is where I am. If I wasn’t with God and didn’t trust in Him, I would be scared out of my mind!

Thank fully, I am not; I have no reason to be.

The Lord is my provider and protector.

Count Your Blessings

Exodus 17:7 (New International Version)

7 And he called the place Massah ^[a] and Meribah ^[b] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

The last statement (“Is the LORD among us or not?”) really stood out to me and struck me as odd. The context of this is the Israelites in the desert; hungry and thirsty. They complain to Moses and God provides…and they question if He is with them or not?!

And then i began to wonder, how many times have i questioned God’s presence in my life? Plenty. I miss all of the miracles in my life (just as the Israelites did) and doubt that He is even with me sometimes. This got me thinking, in what ways is God evident (and obvious) in my life:

• I wake up every morning
• I have a wife and family who love me unconditionally
• I have enough money each month to pay for living expenses and sometimes extra to put away
• I hardly ever go hungry and never am thirsty without water nearby
• I have a car that runs well
• A church family who supports my wife and I
• Close friends who keep in touch
• Clothes to wear
• His word to meditate over

This list could go on. After explaining to my wife my confusion on this verse she very simply put it in perspective for me: “as we live our day to day lives we get so caught up looking for the ‘big’ miracles to happen that we miss all of the ‘little’ ones.” How true is that? Very true, I am guilty of just that. I miss God in all of the busyness of my life. I don’t look for Him, as i should, in everything that He has provided for me and that which he continues to provide.

I encourage you, take some time and “count your blessings”. You will stop looking for God and begin wondering how and why you’ve missed Him!

The Perfect Place To Wait

Psalm 27:14 (New International Version)

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Again, God does not cease to encourage me!

Right now my wife and I are at a cross road in our young lives (as mentioned before) and we could be very, very, very worried and stressed out about the situation. But, by the grace of God we are not. We are both trusting in the Lord and are waiting on Him. Waiting with eager anticipation of how He is going to work this all out. We know He will and we know it is all in His timing, not ours.

Wait on the Lord, trust in Him, go according to HIS plan and you will not be sorry, “He shall strengthen your heart!”