Numbers 21:4-9
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

John 3:16 is one of the best-known Gospel passages. And for good reason – what a statement! God loved us so much that He His ultimate gift and sacrificed His Only Son, Jesus Christ, for us! Everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. We just have to accept it. Note that the qualification is “everyone who believes in Him” – that’s our responsibility. Each of us needs to make a personal decision to believe in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 says further: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God– not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

Although I grew up in a mainline Protestant church, I don’t recall talk of any responsibility on my part. That is until my 3rd-grade Sunday School teacher took me aside one day & asked if I would like to accept Jesus as my Savior. We prayed right then, and I came to know Jesus.

Did my life go on without problems? Hardly. Being problem-free is not part of God’s promise. In fact, it wasn’t long afterward that my father died unexpectedly, we moved to another state, and my whole world seemed to fall apart. But God didn’t leave. We had quite a few significant conversations with my asking the questions (Why?”) and God waiting patiently to reassure me that He had a good plan for the rest of my life. He did!

Lord, we give our thanks for your gift of your Son. Thank you for providing a way for each of us to know you during this life and in life after death.
-Barbara Cheyney