I went upstairs to my grandaughter’s bedroom, where she was listening to music. She turned the music off, and I noticed a children’s Bible opened on her nightstand. I asked her if she had been reading the Bible. She replied, “Do you know where to find John 3:16?”
The Bible was opened to the gospel of Luke. I verbally ran through the order of the gospels, “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” She was turning the pages while scrolling through the chapter numbers with her fingers. She found John 1, then Chapter 2, and then 3, at which point she found verse 16.
This is the NIRV (children’s version) 16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.
This is an excellent verse to ponder on Resurrection Day. Jesus tells us that God loves us. Paul said even when we were enemies and sinful, God loved us to send us His son. This love is not earned by good behavior. Nor is it obtained through where you were born or who your parents are. This love is placed on the object (person) of His affection. It is like turning on a spotlight on a stage and following the lead character wherever they walk. The love of God stays with you.
The second word of great importance is believed. Believing is both faith and trusting. I use trusting instead of trust to incorporate ongoing action. Faith is the substance of your belief. It includes all of the information you have about Jesus. He was both God and man. He truly lived on the earth for 33 years, was crucified, buried, and rose again. Your faith rests on these facts that you have gained about Jesus.
Trusting is an action that you take. Confessing you are a sinner in need of a savior is an act of trusting. Speaking aloud that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that He rose again from the dead are acts of trusting. Inviting the Holy Spirit to fill you, lead you, use you to help others, and abide with you is trusting in action. Being a follower of Jesus and not the other way around is putting control of your life in its proper order for “trusting” to have its full impact. Leaning on a wall is a sign of trust in its sturdiness. Staring at a strong wall requires no trust.
The final word of importance in our verse is “anyone.” All may come to Jesus and believe. Past failures do not disqualify you from coming and believing in Jesus. Even constant rejection of Jesus and His goodness doesn’t mean a person cannot turn and repent, even in the last moments of life. All may come regardless of language, ethnicity, poor or rich, age, or intelligence. When God opens the eyes of the heart to His offer of forgiveness and acceptance, enter freely into His rest.
Happy Resurrection Day! Enjoy the journey of experiencing God’s continuous and overflowing love as one who has believed in the Son, Jesus.
Blessings Love y’all