When was the last time God’s Word left you breathless?
When was the last time you considered a few verses and felt like a thousand days would not be enough to take in the majesty of God?
When was the last time you were blessed with the deep meaning of a passage, and just sat still because you were so awestruck by God’s glorious nature?
This happened to me the other day, but you may be surprised by the verses I was considering, because they are so familiar to Christians:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17
Now, I must admit that Pastor John Piper, through a sermon, helped me immensely in considering the significance of these verses. Especially when he compared them to a father who says to his son, “Son, I have some enemies that hate me. I am sending you to them to die on their behalf, that they might be saved” Now this is a rough quote of what Piper said, but God used that startling comparison to cause me to think long and hard about God’s nature, and His willingness to give His Son’s life for ours. I considered under what circumstances I would send my son Timothy into a den of violent men, knowing that he would be killed, that they might somehow have a better existence. I couldn’t consider any such circumstances.
There is still so much we have yet to understand about God and His Word. The Holy Spirit is able to burst our hearts wide open by showing us the deeper meaning of a passage, for Jesus said to His disciples,
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26
Please don’t think that the blessings that came to me through John 3:16 were because of some special revelation I received. I also don’t want you to conclude that it was part of some extraordinary supernatural experience. All I am saying is that I was blessed to have the Holy Spirit open my heart further to John 3: 16-17.
Before I read the Bible, I often ask God to help me to understand what I am about to read. I am going to keep praying that prayer because I still have so much to learn about God and the Bible.
For Jesus,
Rob