Love Everlasting
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 NASBS
Brothers and sisters in Christ, may the grace of God help us to meditate daily on the death and resurrection of Jesus in uninterrupted silence. I mean this in a twofold way. First from a physical sense, that is, that we lay aside time in the busyness of each day’s activities to draw upon the strength of God’s love that was demonstrated to us on the cross. It is an intentional action that we must be prepared to take. We must seek with all of our hearts to find a specific time each day to set down all of our electronic devices. We do not need a reminder, e-mail, or text message preventing us from seeking God. Distractions are things that will make our minds wander and prevent us from giving ourselves completely to God in this way.
We must also be prepared from a spiritual sense, that is, not to allow the law of God to bring us to a place of feeling unworthy to approach our Father in heaven. This can be very challenging for many of us. We know that we are saved by grace through faith, and it is not of ourselves, but often we find ourselves running back under the yoke of the law and not seeing ourselves as heirs of heaven based upon the merit of Christ. Ask yourself. Can God the Father reject His Son, Jesus, Whose sacrifice He has already accepted? The answer is no. Then beloved, if you are in Christ, He cannot reject you either, nor would He want to. It is true that apart from being saved, we were once children of wrath who violently opposed the cross by our sinful actions, but it is also true that in Christ we are beloved by God and are precious in His sight.
I bring this to your attention because we live in a society filled with laws, “Do this, and don’t do that.” Therefore, our consciences are conditioned to laws, and we need them to govern our society. So, when it comes to the Law of God, it is perfect and it has condemned the entire world under the bar of His heavenly courtroom. But when Christ comes to our hearts and creates inside us saving faith that brings forth a life of continual repentance, the law is no longer our enemy. But if we understand the Law in light of the Gospel, which frees us from its condemnation, it now becomes a tool to help govern our fleshly appetites. The Law, when understood correctly, will always bring the Christian back to the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. So, when you enter into holy prayer and meditation upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ do not use the law inappropriately and condemn yourself before God. To do this, is to lose the joy of entering into the Father’s presence. Remember, for whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.
So come now, beloved, let us draw upon the sweetness of verses such as the one found in John chapter three, verse sixteen and seventeen, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Take this verse and write it upon your heart; never forget it. Insert your name in it because it was written not only for the Christians in the first century, but for you as well. Remember when you meditate upon verses like this no one could have stopped the scourges that tore through the back of Jesus for you, nor could anyone have taken the crown of thorns that pierced His head for you, nor could anyone have prevented the executioner from driving the iron through His hands and feet for you, for it was God the Father Who was doing this to His only begotten Son. Never forget the living God did this because He loved you before this world ever knew you, saving you, and giving you eternal life.