2-19 Devotional Thots

“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.” (Jn 3: 16)

John 3:16 is probably the most quoted and most familiar verse in the entire Bible to children and adults alike, and yet do many ever take time to meditate on what it is saying? Do we attempt to analyze the verse and break it down to squeeze all the blessed fruit out of it? Probably the key word in this verse is “believeth”, at least that is the one word that allows us to find the gift of true life that is provided by Christ. Contrary to the prevailing opinions, “believeth” is the key word and the entrance into the realm of the Holy. You see, the verse has little to offer without the belief. God gave His Son to the entire world, even those who don’t seek Him, and who seem to care less of His comforting grace; He has provided the same love for them as He has for us. He is there for them too, but the difference is, they will not believe. I do not say they cannot believe, but that they “will not”. You see, belief is a definite act of the will. You choose to believe or disbelieve. We first must make up our minds to believe God, then we begin to put our belief into action. So, believing is a decision; a wise one, but still a decision.

Belief is a miracle worker. It moves mountains because it has the strength of faith behind it. Belief then is the determining factor as to whether we are saved or not. It is by grace that we are saved, but through the conduit of faith we receive the gift of salvation. You see, it is there already, just waiting for us to tap into it, and make a pipeline that leads directly to our hearts for it to travel through. It is there in Jesus. He is Salvation; He is faith; He is belief; he is everything we need; He is the One and only, everlasting life. The question for all mankind today and always is, “Will you believe?” Will you take Christ at his word, and accept Him as your sacrifice for sin? That is a decision we all must make, and it is the most crucial decision we will ever have to make. It is not a matter of life and death, but of eternity, and eternal life and death. It is a decision that follows us throughout our lives, and beckons us daily until we face it; it will not leave us alone until we decide to do the wise thing; the right thing.

Even after we are saved, and walking in the grace of His love, we can still be guilty of unbelief. We can never move mountains until we believe; we can be a child of God, but weak in faith, and for the same reason—we refuse to believe. Faith is not out of reach for us; it is not some high mountain that we are unable to scale; its there before us, ours for the taking. We have the Word of God to back it up; the words of God for support of it, and yet ye will not believe. Oh ye of little faith, will ye not make that decision today? Will you believe God and His Word? If so, there is nothing that you cannot accomplish for Him; no task is too large, and no chore too small for His glory. Take Him at His Word, and try Him, and see if it is not so. - Marty Dunn