The week before Christmas my son, Andy, and his fiancée, Nina, invited his mother, Linda, and I to return to San Diego to visit them once again, shortly after having just spent a week with them there on the beautiful Pacific. They surprised us, but only slightly, with an invitation to return to witness their marriage to one another on a cliff overlooking the beautiful ocean. While there again in San Diego, this time for just two days, as always I brought with me my trusty bible, now weathered by years of travels all over the world and hours in my hands. Each day I tried to spend some quiet time with my best friend in my lap, reading and meditating on, or thinking deeply about, the Word of God. It is the most delicious time of my day, for it satisfies like nothing else. It is like the door to my life this day, opening to light that I would never see without it. So here I sat with John, my brother, and I happily share two passages with you that really touched my heart. Today let me share the first!
“Jesus said, ‘The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God’” John 16:27. Ahh, what a revelation! What a Word of absolute truth. Our God loves us! Loves us all! Despite our sinful selves and despite the fact that we threw Him on a Cross, nailed Him to the wood, and watched Him bleed out! Something happened after this precious child was born to Mary on Christmas just one score and thirteen years earlier. And God loves us, God loves you, because we love Jesus, His only begotten Son and believe that Jesus came from God. So there you have it! A marvelous and simple directive of God regarding the purpose of our birth and life here on earth. We are to love Jesus Christ and believe that He is God, sent from the Father and One with the Father. Not two Gods, but One single God. Love Jesus and believe that He is who He says He is!
When I consider all the years I studied theology and immersed myself in thousands of pages and books steeped in human observations, sometimes so detailed and confusing that I had no idea what the point was, I breathe a breath of relief and great satisfaction that we can all appreciate how easy and simple and direct are the teachings and thoughts and remarks - and the person - Jesus is. LOVE ME AND BELIEVE I AM FROM GOD OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN! That’s it!
NOW JUST DO IT!
In conclusion let me share how I do this: I believe every word in the Bible is true. Not always literally true, but true, nonetheless. I take every Word of the bible more seriously than anything else in my life. And yet I know that no human being can ever comment about the bible, or make any observation about it whatsoever, without it being a personal interpretation of the Bible. I believe there are very good and very responsible interpretations of the bible, and very inaccurate and irresponsible interpretations of the bible. I do everything I can to interpret the bible as carefully and responsibly as possible. I believe the Bible is God speaking to each of us. Everything in then bible is true! So when Jesus says, “The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God’” in John 16:27, that is true! Absolutely true!
And so I that is why I pray that God forgives me and showers me with His mercy, for I have not always loved Jesus and believed He came from God.”
HOW ABOUT YOU!?
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
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