God Loves It | Week of May 14th

God Loves It
Pastor Tom Chism

John 3:16-17

1. God loves this world.
   • John 1:12
2. We will never disappear but receive life from eternity’s storehouse.
   • John 1:4-5, 12-13
3. Now that we believe, our purposes and assets are revolutionized. 
   • John 3:5-8

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:16-17 ESV

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:6-8 ESV

“Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:5-8 ESV

This week, explore the spiritual practice of fasting. Fasting is the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of spiritual activity. Fasting gives us the opportunity to reveal the things that control us and demand our energy and focus. This practice reminds us that we’re sustained by the Word of God and helps us balance priorities and nonessentials.

Set aside a timeframe to abstain from a normal function. This could look like skipping two meals on Thursday and using that timeframe to connect with God. It could look like only using your phone for calls or texts for 24 hours and spending that extra time praying for friends. Ask God what he’d like you to fast from this week.

Jesus calls us by name. He tells us in John 10 that he is the Gate for the sheep and anyone who goes through him will be cared for; that they can go freely in and out and find pasture. In Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase, Jesus says, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” Not only does he call me by name, but he is offering me something.

I accepted that something at the age of 10 but Jesus keeps calling me by name every single day. He keeps offering me this real and eternal life. He continually offers me abundant life! More and better life than I’ve ever dreamed of!

Earlier in the book of John, the author tells us “Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.” (John 1:3-5 MSG). My abundant life ought to blaze out of the darkness with Jesus. I don’t want Jesus’ offer to be a little candle. I want every prayer, every project, every conversation, every interaction to be a blaze of abundant life. Let’s be people this week that overwhelm the darkness around us and allow God to give us abundant life – more and better life than we’ve ever dreamed of!

Grace and Peace,
Lydia Long