I have been a Bible “reader” most of my life. When I was in elementary and junior high, I used to earn my way to summer camp by studying the Bible and completing lessons related to what I had read. I became a Bible “study-er” when I hit my forties, with the past few years being primarily IN the Bible, not necessarily using someone else’s thought processes to guide me, but asking the Holy Spirit to guide me.
It gives me thrills and chills when I read something that really speaks to me and I feel is a note, a word, a message — something I needed in my spirit — from God to me at a particular time in my life. Do you have those moments in God’s Word? I’m kind of putting the end of the blog here toward the middle tonight. It just feels urgent. Have you met Jesus? Do you know Jesus?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24 (KJV)
Here in John 5:24, Jesus is trying to get your attention. In the King James Version, He uses, “Verily, verily…” It seems almost like He is saying, “Listen! Listen!” He says that what He is telling you is true. If you listen and believe in His words and believe in God who sent Him, then you will have life that never ends. You will come from a life where your spirit is dead into that life with Jesus immediately. You will be walking with Jesus then and there.
The challenge I see in this scripture is for you to truly listen to the words of Jesus and hear what He is saying to you. Then make the effort to apply them to your life and discover what a life lived in Christ can be.
For those that are Christ followers, to apply this scripture to our lives, we must not only listen to the words of Jesus and apply them to our lives, we must consistently live our lives in a way that displays the words of Jesus through us.
What does this scripture mean to my faith? The sweetest thing I see from this scripture is that as I believe the words of Jesus, and believe in the God who sent Him to me, I have already begun my life everlasting. My location will one day change, but my life with Christ has already begun. I am His!
Lord. Jesus, Thank You! Thank You for coming to earth and living life as a man and teaching us how life is supposed to be lived. You gave us Your wisdom and You tried to teach us how to love each other through You. Please continue to reveal Yourself to those that need to hear Your words. Strengthen Your followers so that we can lead the way for others to come to You and to life everlasting.
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“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24 (KJV)
“16 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. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:16,18,36 (KJV)
“40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:40,47 (KJV)
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” John 8:51 (KJV)
“Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.” John 12:44 (KJV)
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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about Him.
Do you know the God of grace? He created a perfect world. He loved His creation. Then, through the disobedience of man, God’s created beings, sin came into that perfect world. God, as the Creator, was the only One that could redeem His creation. Over two thousand years ago, a season in time came to be when Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, God in the flesh, was born as a tiny babe. (Christianity.com has a very good article about how Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies of the much looked for Messiah. Of course the better place to read this is in the Bible itself.) He lived a sinless life. At the age of about thirty, He began His earthly ministry. Jesus was abandoned by His followers, tortured and crucified to death. This He did deliberately, giving up His life freely. He was buried in a borrowed tomb that was heavily guarded by Roman soldiers. Then, as He had promised His followers, He arose from that grave on the third day. “Why,” you ask, “would He do this, go through this?” Ah, the reason… Love…Grace. He did it for you, His beloved creation! He did it for me also, of which I am eternally thankful. The thing is, He gave His life as redemption for the sin of the whole world. This same Jesus will come into your life. God is Spirit. You come to Him in spirit. Confess to Him that you realize you are a sinner. Tell Him that you believe that Jesus is His Son-His only Son, that He came to this earth to redeem you. Tell Him that you will turn away from a sinful life and follow the teachings of Jesus. Then find a local, Bible-believing church and become involved with the fellowship of the Church.
Here is an excellent website that can give you additional information about making your decision for Jesus Christ! PeaceWithGod.net
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Restricted Vision, Unburdened Sight 