May 27, 2018
John 3:11-17…“If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” vs. 12
There are times when we would like to share the good news of Jesus the Christ with our neighbors or even family members, and they have a dickens of a time trying to figure out what we’re talking about. Oh, they may know the story and be familiar with the scriptures–they may even be able to quote John 3:16. But they just don’t get what we’re trying to say, or have any sense that the gospel might be for them, too. There’s a reason for their difficulty. It’s not that the message is complicated or hard to understand. It’s just that it is born of the Holy Spirit and addresses the heart rather than the mind. As John puts it, it comes straight out of heaven, it comes from the realm of God and not that of humans. It’s not a message about love; it is love. The gospel is the incarnation of the love of God. It happened in Jesus, and it has continued to happen in the lives of believers ever since. This gift of love has transformed the world and is intended for all people. It can melt the hardest heart and break down every divisive barrier. As Paul describes it, love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Who knows, it may even ooze into the lives of our unbelieving brothers and sisters!
Thought for the Day: What’s the best way to communicate love?
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