There is one thing about John 3:16 that escapes us from time to time. It is the fact of the sacrifice and the life commitment God requires from us all. John (nlt) 3: 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Believing IN Him is much different than believing about Him. In other words, the grace of God is not a "cheap" grace, but a grace with much worth and value and that grace does something huge in the heart or soul of man. That grace changes us and makes us new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! Paul knew first-hand about the grace of God. As Saul He was a zealot in his life walk and that caused him to hate the followers of Jesus so much he wanted them dead. So He moved on his hate and went from town to town to arrest them, but when he saw the reaction of Stephen when he was being stoned to death, something clicked. Then Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Saul had letters giving him the right to arrest and take some of the followers of The Way back to Jerusalem to be put in prison. Jesus meets him on the road and Saul is changed from the inside out. His new identity in Christ compeled Him to give his life serving the same Jesus he had hated so much. NEW, NEW, NEW.
That is what grace does to a new convert and the change in our soul compels us to follow Jesus, and serve Jesus. Once again, Saul's belief was complete and the change was radical. Some say they believe in Jesus but it is more of a "easy believism" but there is not heart change. James writes this in James 2:19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? There is a radical change when the Holy Spirit takes residence in your heart, and the resulting change is a person who now seeks to deepen their new relationship with their Savior. If you have been born again then that is YOU!!!
When you live in the grace of God, do not cheapen it, but let it change you as you walk this faith walk and seek God in His Word, and He will show you the mysteries of what life is really all about. 1 Corinthians 2:13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. The blueprint for living is right there in the Word of God, and God's grace keeps us in line with true forgiveness and peace as we walk this walk of faith. Live in that grace, and God will show you great and mighty things you did not know. We serve a God who is not shy about showing us great and mighty things as He did to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 33:3 Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.
Let God be the one who defines your life and then you will be a living definition of what it means to be a Christ follower.
Today's Message,
David Warren
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