Come to Me.... Choose Me!

In Awe of Him

In Awe of Him

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.
~John 3:16 King James Version


16 “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and only] begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.
~John 3:16 Amplified Bible


This is perhaps the most FAMOUS and well-known scripture in all of modern history.

This is the MOST SPECTACULAR and PRECIOUS invitation to be GIVEN to all of man-kind.

I have been deeply pondering this INVITATION that the BIBLE clearly extends to those who will LISTEN... to those who are in NEED... to those who are broken.... to those who are poor...to those who are hurting...to those who will HUMBLE themselves.... to those who are DEAD in their sins with no hope.

When I think about HOW MUCH LOVE that John 3:16 is talking about... I am brought to my knees in sheer wonder and AWE.

COME to ME...all who are WEARY.... and I will give you REST.

So many promises... the Lord gives us when we CHOOSE HIM.

I am so GRATEFUL to be a CHILD of the MOST HIGH GOD.
 
Beautiful post, In Awe of Him, and amongst all the wonderful words and references, you touched on something which resonates with me which is more of a logical concept than a spiritual feeling or belief.

"The Bible clearly extends to those who will LISTEN..." Bottom line, the accounts in the Old Testament, and more so to me, Jesus' teachings, are good down-to-earth rules by which to live our lives.

Working in the behavioral Healthcare field for the majority of my life, if I applied the tenets of Christianity, whether specifically identified or not, people, patients, clients, and staff positively REACTED to my behavior based on concepts learned from scripture. On the flip side of the coin, if I did not follow those tenets, chaos resulted.

Thank you for this thread, In Awe of Him!
 
Great post Sis. That HUMBLE part seems to be the connector to the Spirit.
Because those who are:
Haughty
Boastful
A know-it-all
An... I-have-to-tell-you-something before another gets to speak
In your face
Condemning
One who takes pleasure in another's trouble
An..I-know-better-than-you type
Gossipers
Envious

Generally those who put themselves ahead of anybody else. Pretty much the anti-humble.
These cannot seem to connect or even be open to the Spirit's call.
 
Big Moose said:
Great post Sis. That HUMBLE part seems to be the connector to the Spirit.
Because those who are:
Haughty
Boastful
A know-it-all
An... I-have-to-tell-you-something before another gets to speak
In your face
Condemning
One who takes pleasure in another's trouble
An..I-know-better-than-you type
Gossipers
Envious
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You hit the nail right on the head here.

James 4:6 states that God resists the proud ( haughty ).... and HE gives grace to the humble.

We all know that person...the one who thinks too well of themselves.

The one who likes to cause strife and division within the flock...with their attitude of superiority and
demeaning manner in which they communicate.

It is interesting that the solution to all those things....( as you wisely provided )... is TO REPENT and HUMBLE YOURSELF.

Davey Do said:
"The Bible clearly extends to those who will LISTEN..." Bottom line, the accounts in the Old Testament, and more so to me, Jesus' teachings, are good down-to-earth rules by which to live our lives
Click to expand...
Good morning Davey Do... Listening is an ACTION word... it means you have to HEAR and then OBEY and FOLLOW.

Jesus' teachings are truly the ONLY hope for man-kind. Listening is just as important as choosing.

I love how all the instructions and commandments of God lead to HIS GRACE... MERCY... and PROTECTION.

God bless you Davey.... so happy that you found these forums. :D
 
In Awe of Him said:
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. ~John 3:16 King James Version / 16 “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and only] begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. ~John 3:16 Amplified Bible
I have been deeply pondering this INVITATION that the BIBLE clearly extends to those who will LISTEN... to those who are in NEED... to those who are broken.... to those who are poor...to those who are hurting...to those who will HUMBLE themselves.... to those who are DEAD in their sins with no hope.
Click to expand...

In Awe of Him wrote: I have been deeply pondering this INVITATION that the BIBLE clearly extends to those who will LISTEN...

What a concept. Thank you for posting this thread, sister.

Bob
 
john14six said:
I sometimes wonder how many people overlook the 2 verses preceding John 3:16, verse 14 & 15. Is the Lord telling us something about "believing in Him" in that Old Testament story?

John
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Do those have to do with the account in Numbers 21:
8Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
 
Big Moose said:
Do those have to do with the account in Numbers 21:
8Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
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Yes, they do.
 
john14six said:
I sometimes wonder how many people overlook the 2 verses preceding John 3:16, verse 14 & 15. Is the Lord telling us something about "believing in Him" in that Old Testament story?
Click to expand...

Numbers 21: 8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

Good morning john14six

As I read Numbers 21... to the end of the story of the bronze serpent... ( I really sometimes fear the old testament but gave it a try )...I was taken with the LACK of FAITH that often seemed to plague the Israelites. They are written as having a very short memory of the GOODNESS of GOD to deliver and keep them.... I was also taken with the mumblings they uttered.... turning their hearts away from God.

And thus is the same challenge we face today... all of these 1000's of years later. HOWEVER..... we are BLESSED that we will NEVER be in need of a short-term/temporary remedy to heal us... because CHRIST paid the price ONCE and FOR ALL with His precious BLOOD.

Perhaps the bronze statue was a foreshadowing of what was to come.... the ULTIMATE and COMPLETE... PERFECTION of a SACRIFICE that was PLEASING to GOD.
 
See the similarities, the staff with the bronze snake was lifted up and all who looked at it were healed. Likewise, Christ was lifted up on a cross and all who look to HIM are saved.
 
Dave F. said:
See the similarities, the staff with the bronze snake was lifted up and all who looked at it were healed. Likewise, Christ was lifted up on a cross and all who look to HIM are saved.
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I do see the similarities. I find the Old Testament so intimidating... so I'm happy to have received the wee challenge to look into it.
 
In Awe of Him said:
Numbers 21: 8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

Good morning john14six

As I read Numbers 21... to the end of the story of the bronze serpent... ( I really sometimes fear the old testament but gave it a try )...I was taken with the LACK of FAITH that often seemed to plague the Israelites. They are written as having a very short memory of the GOODNESS of GOD to deliver and keep them.... I was also taken with the mumblings they uttered.... turning their hearts away from God.

And thus is the same challenge we face today... all of these 1000's of years later. HOWEVER..... we are BLESSED that we will NEVER be in need of a short-term/temporary remedy to heal us... because CHRIST paid the price ONCE and FOR ALL with His precious BLOOD.

Perhaps the bronze statue was a foreshadowing of what was to come.... the ULTIMATE and COMPLETE... PERFECTION of a SACRIFICE that was PLEASING to GOD.
Click to expand...
The message I saw from Jesus' reference to the story of the bronze serpent is that just as the Israelites looked upon the bronze serpent in faith that God would heal them, we look to the cross, where Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, a penalty we could not pay, as God's way of healing us, saving us. IOW, our salvation is all about the finished work of Christ on the cross; not about anything we can do.

John
 
john14six said:
The message I saw from Jesus' reference to the story of the bronze serpent is that just as the Israelites looked upon the bronze serpent in faith that God would heal them, we look to the cross, where Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, a penalty we could not pay, as God's way of healing us, saving us. IOW, our salvation is all about the finished work of Christ on the cross; not about anything we can do.
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I agree with this. I am not well versed in the Old Testament.... other than the Psalms and Proverbs. Therefore I am unaware of much of these stories of comparisons. God bless you John.

As far as the title of my thread.... I do believe we have free will to CHOOSE Him... what occurs after this... is a supernatural transaction sealed by the Holy Spirit. Bought and Paid for by HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD.
 
In Awe of Him said:
I do see the similarities. I find the Old Testament so intimidating... so I'm happy to have received the wee challenge to look into it.
Click to expand...
Another instance where Jesus referred to an Old Testament story is found in John 6:25-63. The following day after Jesus had fed the 5000 Jews, He went to Capernaum, and the Jews went also to Capernaum looking for Him. When they found Him, they asked Him why He came there. Jesus answered them saying that they seek him not because of the miracles they had seen, but because he had fed them the bread and they were filled. Then he told them that they should not labor, work for meat, bread, or food that perishes, not last, spoils but that they should labor or work for meat, bread, food that leads to eternal life. They then asked Him what work they should do to work the works of God. His reply was to believe in Him.
Next, the Jews asked Him for a sign that they could see so they could believe Him. They went on to say that he, Moses, had given them bread from heaven in the desert to eat. Jesus told them that God had given their fathers that bread, not Moses, and reminded them that their fathers ate that manna, food, from heaven and died. He told them that He is the bread of God that gives life unto the world.
Jesus went on to say that anyone who eats his flesh and drinks his blood will have eternal life. The Jews then murmured at him, and many did not believe him because he said they should eat his flesh and drink his blood.
Jesus put the matter in the proper perspective when He told them that it is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh. That the words he had spoken about them eating his flesh and drinking his blood were referring to spiritual matters; not matters of the flesh.
IOW, Jesus was telling them that they should be seeking Him for the spiritual food that leads to eternal life instead of physical food that last for a day.
Hope this makes sense.

John
 
john14six said:
Another instance where Jesus referred to an Old Testament story is found in John 6:25-63. The following day after Jesus had fed the 5000 Jews, He went to Capernaum, and the Jews went also to Capernaum looking for Him. When they found Him, they asked Him why He came there. Jesus answered them saying that they seek him not because of the miracles they had seen, but because he had fed them the bread and they were filled. Then he told them that they should not labor, work for meat, bread, or food that perishes, not last, spoils but that they should labor or work for meat, bread, food that leads to eternal life. They then asked Him what work they should do to work the works of God. His reply was to believe in Him.
Next, the Jews asked Him for a sign that they could see so they could believe Him. They went on to say that he, Moses, had given them bread from heaven in the desert to eat. Jesus told them that God had given their fathers that bread, not Moses, and reminded them that their fathers ate that manna, food, from heaven and died. He told them that He is the bread of God that gives life unto the world.
Jesus went on to say that anyone who eats his flesh and drinks his blood will have eternal life. The Jews then murmured at him, and many did not believe him because he said they should eat his flesh and drink his blood.
Jesus put the matter in the proper perspective when He told them that it is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh. That the words he had spoken about them eating his flesh and drinking his blood were referring to spiritual matters; not matters of the flesh.
IOW, Jesus was telling them that they should be seeking Him for the spiritual food that leads to eternal life instead of physical food that last for a day.
Hope this makes sense.
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Thank you John for this BEAUTIFUL reflection you posted.

I believe this is the passage that is used to affirm why some sects teach that the bread and wine are the literal body and blood of Christ. My mother was a devout Catholic and aligned herself with these traditions and beliefs. I was never able to accept them. ( Not stated for the sake of debate.. simply sharing a personal experience ).

I have experienced a simple FAITH... a deep FAITH that is unshakeable... a Faith that is content no matter what comes my way.
This has been achieved by focusing SOLELY on WHO GOD IS... and bowing down and WORSHIPPING Him for HIS SOVEREIGNTY and MAJESTY. There is POWER that comes from approaching God from this vantage point.

God bless you John.
 
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