DAILY READING
For more help use this Bible Study method
REFLECTION
I Believe and Shall Not Perish
by Dan Kidd
Today we're in the passage surrounding perhaps the most known, most quoted verse in the Bible, John 3:16. It is an important verse. In concise phrasing we hear the full measure of God's love--that he'd give us what is most precious to him, his Son--himself. Likewise we hear the incredible consequences of this event: that we believers needn't fear that we would parish because we have received eternal life. This is incredible news. Nearly too incredible for Nicodemus to believe.
But belief is exactly the point of this passage. Nicodemus had come to visit this Spirit-filled, miracle-performing Rabbi, Jesus. He'd come in the night to avoid the suspicions or disapproval of his fellow Pharisees. He knew the Lord was with Jesus. I suspect he didn't anticipate being invited into eternal life; into being born again.
What was required? Belief. Agreement that Jesus was who he said he was. Devotion to the path that led to life abundant and eternal. Surrender to the transforming power of the Spirit. Just as Moses's serpent staff, when lifted high detoxified the venom that would course through veins and seize the heart, Jesus, lifted high--exalted--has robbed death of its venom. We are well. And we can trust that Jesus has made that true--that he is the Way. He is the Truth. He is Life. This is our invitation. And once we believe that he has give us new life we can walk confidently, fully trusting in Christ for this day, and the next, and always.
PRAYER PRACTICE
Cup Prayer – This prayer will help you pour your heart out to God, and practice our faith in the finish work of Christ. Begin with your hands folded together like an upside-down cup. Pour out before the Lord all your fears, anxieties, guilt, sin and shame. Tell him what troubles you. Take time to be specific. When you feel like you’ve poured out your heart, flip your hands over, folding them like an open cup, ready to receive what the Lord will give. Sit in silence, asking God simply to fill you with his Spirit. If your mind returns to sin, shame, anxiety, or concerns of the day, flip your hands back over and pour it out to the Lord. When you are finished praying, consider re-read today’s passage, listening as God shares his heart back with you.
Comentários