John 3:18

Sons;

One of the verses I use during the semester is John 3:18 - "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  Of course, John 3:16 we already know - it is a statement of God's love, and how that love is shown.  Verse 17 helps with the context ("For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."), by showing what Jesus came to do.  This is important to state, because Jesus did come to deliver salvation as a sacrifice; on His second coming, Jesus will fulfill the promise by setting apart those who are saved from those who are not.

Verse 18, however, provides a very clear statement about our part in Christ's salvation.  If He did not come to judge, then how are we to be judged?  Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, points out that, in the end, it is we who judge ourselves.  If we accept Christ, then we will not be judged; when the time for the final judgement of all men comes, and our moment to face God is at hand, Jesus stands besides us to say our debt has been paid.  If we do not accept His salvation, then we face God alone, and nothing will be good enough to substitute for our sins.  

So, the question of our judgement before God is not, as most people think, some far off event; no, it is something that is being lived out right now.  Once we accept that belief, once we accept Jesus' substitution for us, then the question of whether we will go to Heaven is answered.  We will not be perfect, we will not be done growing, but we will not be judged.  For one decision to see us into eternity in Heaven, the choice is worth it.

But of what value is this in our day-to-day lives?  Well, certainly it is important to know how and why our faith and our salvation works.  Perhaps more important, however, is living in such a way that we show by demonstration that believing in Jesus and His name is actually worth it.  Think of it this way - we are walking advertisements for Christ.  If people look at us and say, "Well, there's no difference between him and us, so believing in Jesus must not really be worth anything," then we have not been a good advertisement.  If people say, "Wow, I want what he has!" then we've done our part, by showing the believing make a difference.  That's why it's important to know John 3:18, because it helps give us a reason to keep on  living a righteous life, and that is what it's all about!

Love,

Dad

Proverbs 16:9

Sons;

Today's verse in class was Proverbs 16:9 - "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."  This idea has been used enough that it almost seems cliche, but it really does make a good point - how any day ends may not be the way we think it will.  Yesterday, for us, is a very good example.  When I got out of bed I didn't think that, within two hours, I would be sitting in an emergency room.  I had planned to do quite different things - my "way for the day" had been set out.  God, however, had other plans.  

That is a constant in life, as we never know where the adventure of being a Christian, a man, a husband, a father, will take us.  Sometimes it is good, sometimes not, sometimes in-between and totally neutral.  We can trust, however, that God is indeed directing us; He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has a plan for our welfare, not our destruction.  Every place He takes us, whatever He has us do, both furthers His plan for creation in some way and will work out to our best.  That is a promise we can count on!

So, how do we live in a world where our plans can get upended at any moment?  First, be flexible.  Be willing to adjust to whatever happens with grace, kindness, and helpfulness.  Usually when things change, it's a bit stressful for everyone, so we must act in such a way as to not add to that stress - rather, we should be doing what we can to lower the stress and help everyone out, while being the example of adapting to whatever.  Second, we need to learn that our plans are usually not that important.  If we end up not going to do something, it's not that big a deal, we can do it again another time.  If we cannot get some thing we want, then it's okay as it's only a thing - easily replaceable - and not worth a fuss.  Much of our lives is "day-to-day," and we can work around what we need to.  

In the end, however, it does come back to trust.  Trust that God knows what He's doing and that it is good for you in the long run, and you can deal with whatever changes come along in your day!

Love,

Dad