Week 4, Day 4
Begin with 2 minutes of silence
Scripture : John 3:14-21 (NLT)
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[a]
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[b] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.[c]”
Devotional : Pleasing God
By Jamie Hawes
In verses 18-21, Jesus makes the distinction of those who believe and those who don’t. He is talking about those that have been presented with the Truth, yet if they stay in darkness, they are making the choice to receive his judgement. Our choice to believe is an act of surrender. It is a choice to bring who we are and what we do, into the Light. And yet when we do this, we are hidden in God and our lives and decisions are controlled by God and what He wants us to do. He is the one that gives us the power to do what’s right, when we are fully devoted to God and what He wants for us. We are no longer controlled by our sinful nature. It is a process by which He will peel back the layers of our sinful hearts.
I have been reading Genesis and am struck by Joseph’s response to Potipher’s wife’s seduction. It went something like this “No way! That would be a great sin against God!” Joseph’s story is one of a life that was transformed by God, and this was his response when tempted by evil. It was black and white, right vs. wrong in God’s sight. Joseph had come to the Light. When you continue to read Joseph’s story, God’s not done with him. He still humbles him further.
If we are on the side of believing in Jesus, then we know that we receive his saving grace freely. There is nothing we need to do to, other than believe. However, as we live out this faith in Him, we realize it is Him who we must please and not ourselves. If we are the on side that believes, our lives will continue to look different. The things we do (and don’t do) are a reflection of what we truly believe.
Question to Consider:
What is something that God may be speaking to you to give over to Him? Is there an area that you have wanted to hold on to that He wants to transform?
Prayer
Jesus, we choose you and only you. Expose areas in my life that are not pleasing to you and that prevent me from experiencing the intimate relationship that you desire with us. Amen!
Close with two minutes of silence