June 30
1Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council…
…5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the spirit…
…17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:1-17, The Jesus Bible)
Happy Friday y’all. Today marks the half-way point through 2023. It is crazy that half of the year is already over. Did you set any goals at the beginning of 2023? If you did, how are those goals looking right now? Today’s the day to do an honest evaluation of where you are. Are you where you hoped to be? What do you need to do to make changes to finish the second half of the year ahead of those end goals?
I had lofty goals in my reading. I expected to burn through The Original Gospels within the first three months, then give myself the next nine months to read through the Apocryphal Gospels. I am very behind on that timeline, as I have just recently started The Gospel of John, but I am excited to be back in that beautiful book.
Have you ever read John’s Gospel? I am sure you are familiar with the most famous verse from the Bible, which is hidden within the verses shared above. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” That verse has the power to change lives. That verse has shaped the course of history. But it is one verse in the middle of 21 amazing verses where John captures Jesus’ teaching to the Pharisee Nicodemus. Go ahead and crack your Bible open and read John Chapter 3 in its entirety. I decided to end with John 3:17 above because I feel like that verse is just as powerful and important as the one before it. A crucial reminder to all of us that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
I can not tell you in words how grateful I am that Jesus did not come to condemn us. If He had done so, this world would have burned down long ago. Instead Jesus provided the Truth, the Way, and the Life to get to God and earn the gift of salvation.
Praise the Lord for that.
Mrs. Z was feeling this spirit of gratitude herself as she wrote another beautiful post, which you can read from her blog by clicking here!
Jesus Culture released another anthem of a worship track last Friday. It is a perfect soundtrack to bring the first half of the year to an end. May the living waters pour over you and bless your journey forward.
Common Sense Reborn 