Happy Friday! Hope everyone has had a good week! This mama is so ready for the weekend! With coughs that never seem to go away – I’m now thinking S might have some sort of asthma – sleep is a friend I haven’t seen in quite some time!
However – for the first time in WEEKS (y’all mama struggles!) I’m writing this BEFORE Friday. Patting myself on the back for that one!
This week we read the final verses of John Chapter 3.
The One from Heaven.
The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven [is above all]. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.
Oh man this is always such a difficult read. To be totally honest, I had to read the first few lines several times to even comprehend what I was reading. I’m going to blame that on mom brain! But the real pit of this – is what most people usually quote. Verse 36. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.”
That is heavy. God wants us to love Him. That is all. It seems so simple right? But God also gave us free will. He wants us to CHOOSE to love Him. Through difficult situations, or through no fault of their own, many do not know Him, and many even choose to reject Him out of fear. God is merciful, but He is also just. Something many of us forget. We so badly want to rely on His mercy that we often times ignore the just part of His nature.
Personally speaking – I don’t want to see anyone I care about, or really anyone for that matter, to experience the wrath of God. Even those that commit the most atrocious crimes. Why? Because even if I think they deserve it, I still don’t want anyone to go through that.
I once heard that Hell is not torturous because it is full of fire and brimstone, but because there is no God. God is love. And in Hell you are completely separated from Him. You are in an eternity of hopelessness and despair. That sounds unspeakably horrible! So it is hard to read this verse and think of those you may know, or not know that have chosen to disobey Our Lord and think that they may see His wrath.
Now, all of this to say, only He knows a person’s heart. So while we may see a person’s actions, we don’t know the true motivation behind it the way He does. So, as in all things, we are to have HOPE, and FAITH, in His MERCY! But tell me, am I the only one that thinks of this? Or thinks in this manner while reading this passage?
Comment below – I would love to hear what others take from this, and how they accept it or struggle with it.
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