Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

We couldn’t possibly study love without reading John 3. This chapter contains what has to be one of the most memorized passages of scripture: John 3:16. I had this verse memorized way before I even grasped a portion of what it meant. I’ve heard this verse in every VBS I’ve ever attended, in every evangelism training, and on every mission trip. I’ve heard and said these words a lot. What I’ve come to learn about myself, and I’m betting it’s true for most of you, is that I tend to believe I understand just because I’ve memorized. I haven’t always taken the time to sit and meditate or even dig deeper into a study of what this passage meant. Let’s not take these words for granted today. 

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made is to forget the verses that come right before a well-known passage. In this case, verses 14-15 have deep and beautiful meanings that make verse 16 all the more precious. At first glance, it is confusing to read about Moses and the snake in the wilderness if you don’t know how that applies to Jesus. These verses are pointing us back to Numbers 21:4-9. The Israelites were impatient with God and Moses and wanted to return to Egypt. God sent venomous snakes that killed many of the Israelites. The only way to be saved was to look upon the bronze snake that God told Moses to make and put up on a pole. Even then, the people didn’t have to do anything for their salvation. This is a perfect picture of what Jesus did for us. He was hung upon a pole (many times the words pole, tree, and cross are synonymous in Scripture) and all we have to do is look to Him (believe) to be saved.  

It's also important to note that verse 16 says that "God so loved the world". The Jews typically had a hard time believing that God loved anyone outside of Israel. That sounds horrible until we think about how many Americans can also easily believe the same thing without even being consciously aware of it. The next time we say this verse, I’m hoping that God will specifically help us remember how much He loves all the people of the whole world. 

Finally, we can’t skip past the truth in verse 18. As much as God loves the whole world, there is still a consequence of not believing in and accepting the free gift that He gave us through His Son. Condemned can be a tough word to understand. Think of it in a legal sense. If you do not believe in Jesus, you will be found guilty. When I think about salvation, in regard to our legal system today, it seems crazy to turn away from the free gift of mercy that sets me free. It also seems crazy to not tell everyone I know that there’s a way to be set free. It would be the most loving thing I could do. 

So that’s our challenge for today.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have accepted God’s free gift of salvation found in His Son, Jesus?
• If not, would you pray and ask God to give you the faith to believe?
• Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your loved ones have accepted God’s free gift of salvation found in His Son, Jesus?
• If not, would you pray and ask God to give you the words to speak to them in love?