Tag: believe on Him
God so loved!
Scripture reading for April 9th: John 3
Jesus Christ came into our world to reveal the love of His Father for all mankind. He came first to His own people, the Jews. These Jews should have been able to recognized Him because of the Scriptures shared through God’s prophets. One of these studied Jews, Nicodemus, came to Jesus by night to inquire further of Jesus about God’s kingdom. Jesus told him that he must be ‘born again’ by the Spirit to even see the kingdom of God! (John 3:5-8)
Nicodemus struggled to understand this concept so Jesus used one of Moses’ stories to illustrate how God would do this for all mankind. “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:13-17)
Jesus had come down from heaven to heal mankind of the serpent’s bite. He was the ‘Son of Man’ and ‘Son of God’. He would be lifted up on a cross bearing the judgment of God on the serpent and sin’s bites on mankind. Anyone who would look to Him and believe would be saved from perishing and receive eternal life! God loved the whole world! This was the pathway to being ‘born again’! Have you believed on Jesus Christ?
The Bread of Life!
Scripture reading for May 10th: John 6:22-46
Jesus’ miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish caused the crowd to search for Him the next morning. After spending time alone in prayer late into the night, Jesus had walked on the lake and joined the disciples in their boat. The crowd was mystified about how Jesus got across the lake. Upon finding Jesus in Capernaum, they asked Him when He got there . Jesus told them they were not looking for Him because of the miraculous signs, but because they ate the bread and were satisfied. He told them not to work for food that spoils, but to seek the food that endured to eternal life which the Son of Man would give them.
Jesus’ instructions stirred a question in those who heard. “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work God requires is this: to believe on the One He has sent.” (John 6:28-29) Jesus was emphasizing that man cannot do any ‘works’ to purchase salvation. God the Father was only looking for humble faith, a trust in the One He sent, His Son Jesus Christ. This was true then and remains the same today! It is only by grace through faith that we please God. (Ephesians 2:8-10) We do good works that God prepares for us after receiving that grace through faith.
Some from the crowd asked Jesus for another miracle to prove He was the One to believe in. They cited Moses and the manna from heaven that God provided for the children of Israel in the desert. Jesus told them that Moses had not given them bread, but His Father who would give them true bread from heaven. “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:33-35)
Jesus Christ is the true Bread of Life! In Him we have eternal sustenance. We can commune with Him each day and truly satisfy our inner hunger and thirst for righteousness, peace and joy. We must come humbly to Him and simply believe that He is the Son of God. Have you found the Bread of Life?