Even though the light will expose my sin, the truth gives me hope!
The first Bible verse that I remember being able to quote was John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” I learned it when I was 6 years old and my motivation to learn it was to get candy in children’s church. Little did I know was that verse would be the foundation of my faith.
The older I got and the more I learned about the Bible, I began to see the bigness of God. I also learned to quote John 3:17 a few years later at church camp. I had a stuttering problem as a child and saying the word “condemn” was a challenge to me. I remember being so proud when I said, “For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
As an adult, those 2 verses have become a challenge to me. I’m reminded that Jesus came to this world to save us and that He doesn’t want anyone to perish. Because of that, I need to be a person that isn’t afraid to tell others about Jesus and to have compassion for those that don’t have a relationship with Him. When I’m unselfish with my faith, I begin to have a heart like God. I begin to have a burden for those who are lost. I begin to have a burden for those who are choosing the world over Jesus. I begin to see that the Kingdom of God is larger than just the part of the world that I live in.
As I read the entire passage (John 3:1-21) here is how I was challenged:
The Pharisee saw Jesus as a teacher. (Do I live a life that a non-believer sees something different in the way I live?)
Jesus says’ “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (Do I have a desire for those that don’t know Jesus to know Him and do I recognize what they’re missing if Christ isn’t shared with them?)
Even though the light will expose my sin, the truth gives me hope! (Do I look and pray for opportunities to share my failures with those around me for them to see that Christ used them to bring glory to Him?)
As we continue to learn more about the life of Christ, my prayer is that our life beings to look like his wants and desires. And because of that, we see all people as a child of God and we want them to discover life through the cross!
