The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 3:19,
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."
This statement explains a lot of things. The one that captures my thoughts this morning is the purpose of this life. This life is a proving ground where a great sifting, or winnowing of the hearts of all the members of the human race takes place. This is the primary, most fundamental purpose of this life under the sun. It is for this purpose that we find ourselves in this life. All other things in this life are subordinated to this one primary and overriding purpose.
This life provides the opportunity for people to express whether they love God more than their sinful lifestyle, (or the other way around.) In the following verse we read, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." The purpose of this life is so this great "sifting" can take place.
We live in an environment where God has cloaked himself and so faith has the opportunity to express itself based on whether we love and want God more than our sin. God only wants those for eternity who want him, and he has determined that faith in him is the way to define that desire. We have to really want God in order to find our way to embracing him in faith.
We read in Matthew 25:31-41, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left... Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'... Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"
People who desire God over their sin come into the light as we read about in John 3:21. Those who refuse God's offer die in their sins and go to "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."
This statement explains a lot of things. The one that captures my thoughts this morning is the purpose of this life. This life is a proving ground where a great sifting, or winnowing of the hearts of all the members of the human race takes place. This is the primary, most fundamental purpose of this life under the sun. It is for this purpose that we find ourselves in this life. All other things in this life are subordinated to this one primary and overriding purpose.
This life provides the opportunity for people to express whether they love God more than their sinful lifestyle, (or the other way around.) In the following verse we read, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." The purpose of this life is so this great "sifting" can take place.
We live in an environment where God has cloaked himself and so faith has the opportunity to express itself based on whether we love and want God more than our sin. God only wants those for eternity who want him, and he has determined that faith in him is the way to define that desire. We have to really want God in order to find our way to embracing him in faith.
We read in Matthew 25:31-41, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left... Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'... Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"
People who desire God over their sin come into the light as we read about in John 3:21. Those who refuse God's offer die in their sins and go to "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
This is the verdict! Don't be a goat!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment