John 3:16-18
“This is how much God loved the
world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that
no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole
and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son
merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He
came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is
acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under
the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s
failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to
him.
Scripture quotations
from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene
Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All
rights reserved.
Suppose you really wanted to spend
your weekend relaxing and doing as you pleased…but someone you loved
desperately needed you to do something with them. So you gave up what
YOU wanted in favor of what this person wanted or needed. And then that
person acted totally ungrateful. Let’s say you drove this person to a
class reunion…spent your time and gas money to get him/her there…and
then he/she acted as if you didn’t exist. You were not introduced to
anyone…this person didn’t give you as much as the time of day. You
pretty well spent the whole event sitting in the corner…or maybe even in
your car!
How would you feel? Would you be eager to help this
person out again in the future? Even though you might not stop loving
this individual – particularly if he/she was a relative…you probably
would not feel very generous toward him/her.
Now imagine the
sacrifice that God made for us. He gave His ONLY SON to DIE for our
sins. He allowed Jesus to suffer unimaginably for each of us…totally
out of love and a desire to help us and care for us. And many of us
treat Him like that person who drove us to the class reunion. We act
as if we don’t know Him…we pretend that He is not important – that we
don’t need Him. And in some cases, we act like He doesn’t exist – if we
don’t claim as much directly.
It’s no wonder that God doesn’t
take too kindly to this kind of treatment! Who among us would accept
rejection from others and continue to lavish them with love and
attention? Unless you enjoy being a doormat for people, I suspect that
there comes a point where you cut your losses in such situations and
move on. So why would we expect God to continue to give us a pass?
Let’s
be clear…God will pursue us to the bitter end. As long as we draw a
breath, He will love us and want us to belong to Him…to accept salvation
in Jesus Christ, surrender our sins to Him, and become His disciple.
But God will not be mocked – or denied – and wave His hand and say,
“It’s okay…there is still a place for you in Heaven. I’ll continue to
bless you on this earth and prepare an Eternal mansion for you. Just do
your thing and be YOU, and don’t worry about serving me!”
God
has given us more than we can ever imagine – for no reason other than
that He loves us more than we can ever comprehend. What’s not to love
in return? Why would we ever not want to serve Him with all of the
gratitude and humility we can muster? How could we willingly and
deliberately turn our backs on such a gift? Yet some do. I pray that
you are not among them…and if you are, I pray that you will change this –
now…today…this minute!
God loves us SO MUCH that He sent Jesus to die for us. How are you responding?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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