Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

For God So Loved... Read John 3:1-21

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16

Many of us have heard John 3:16 quoted ever since childhood.  Let us stop and take a closer look at this familiar verse.  It mentions several things that need to be understood.

For God.  The previous verse mentions perishing in our sinful condition.  Then God intervened, "for" this reason.  We must believe that God exists and is supreme over all.

So loved the world.  God loves us as His crowning creation.  He loves all mankind like no other part of His creation.  He wants the whole of humanity to be His children.  The word "so" shows just how much He loved.

That he gave his only begotten Son.  We must understand the need for a sacrifice to deal with the sin of mankind.  In the Old Testament era, millions of lambs and rams were slain as an 'atonement' (covering) for sin.  Then Jesus gave Himself as the perfect Lamb of God, not just to cover sin but to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

That whosoever believeth in him.  The gift is for all who believe with complete commitment.

Should not perish.  We are doomed, for all have sinned.  And a righteous God cannot tolerate sin.  Something had to be done.  Thank God for his gift.

But have everlasting life.  What a contrast!  We may live forever with Jesus in Heaven someday, if we repent, forsake our sins, and follow him.  Christ made a way for us to be freed from the bondage of sin and experience life everlasting.

- John Ropp - Riverside, IA

From Be Still and Know...

"The steps of a [good] man are directed and established of the Lord, when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]" (Psalm 37:23, Amplified)

Walking is made up of steps.  In our walk of faith with God, He doesn't lead us a year, a month, or even a day at a time, but just step by step.  "He busies Himself with his (our) every step."

When the children of Israel were on their way through the wilderness, God directed their steps with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  When it moved, they moved.  When it stopped, they did, too.  It is important for us, also, to move at His pace, never running ahead of Him, nor lagging behind.

God may have unusual ways of directing our steps, and it is important to follow His guidance.

One evening I was returning to Denver by plane.  I usually sat in the back of the plane.  However, that night, to my surprise, my feet would not go in that direction.  I found myself going to the front of the plane.  Just before we took off, a woman hurried on board.  She came to the front, taking a seat beside me.  I could see she was distraught.  She told me that she and her husband had received a long distance call from Denver, telling them their teen-age son was being rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.  Because he was having some emotional problems, she was unusually concerned.

Suddenly I found myself saying, "The Lord can take care of your need."  As she looked at me, she said, "You're a Christian, aren't you?"  "Yes, I am," I replied.  Then she said, "I was so upset, that on the way to the airport I prayed, asking the Lord to put a Christian beside me."  In flight, at the very time her son was undergoing surgery, we prayed for him.  When we landed someone met her to tell her the operation had been successful.

God had directed my steps to His choice of seat that night, not mine.  Where do our steps lead us?  Do we let Him direct them?  Where do our steps lead others?

"We should make no footprints of our own."

"One of the hardest things in our secret prayer life is to accept with joy and not with grief the answers to our deepest prayers.  It was a long time before I discovered that whatever came was the answer.  I had expected something so different that I did not recognize it when it came.  He doesn't explain; He trusts us not to be offended, that's all."

- Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)