John 3:16
Think Bigger
Some time ago, a person sent me a video titled, “How Big is the Milky Way?” Watching it prompted me to realize that I need to think bigger about God.
The word, “God,” first used in Genesis 1:1, is the Hebrew word ‘ĕlōhîm, a generic word for deity. It means “strong one, mighty leader, supreme Deity.” It is a plural noun but singular in meaning; consistent with the teaching of the Trinity throughout the Bible.
Isaiah 54:5 personalizes the God of Israel saying, “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth.”
Yes, God is the God of Israel, but think bigger. God is the God of all the earth as John 3:16 affirms. “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
We still need to think bigger. Jeremiah 31:35 helps us do that, writing, “Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name.”
Yes, the video, “How Big is the Milky Way?” prompted me to once again be amazed and worship the God of the universe and beyond. What prompts you to be amazed and worship Him?
Lord GOD, forgive us when we think too small of You and take You for granted. Open our eyes to Your grandeur and our hearts to worship You more reverently.
Today, in the Texas Hill Country, we will get to see God’s spectacular handiwork and glory on display as we observe a total solar eclipse. As you watch this rare event, I encourage you to reflect on the greatness of God. He is bigger than we can ever imagine!
Would you also please take a moment to share this post, below?
Are You A Delight to God?
Have you ever considered that the Heavenly Father delights in Jesus? Yes, Jesus is God’s delight, as Isaiah 42:1 points out: “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights.”
In a world full of evil, what a blessing it must be for the Heavenly Father to look at Jesus and say, “My soul delights in You.”
Reading that our Heavenly Father delights in Jesus stirs in me a longing for Him to delight in me, but I can’t imagine that being the case due to the fact I still sin.
Then again, could our Heavenly Father delight in us while not delighting in our sins? Yes. Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”
Our Heavenly Father has set His affection on us. He loved us before we were saved (John 3:16). Now that we are saved, He corrects us like a loving father corrects his children.
So while celebrating God’s pure delight in Jesus, we can also mindfully learn what is pleasing to our Heavenly Father.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, in whom Your soul DELIGHTS. Help us be more mindful of how we can live so that You delight in us.
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Ready or Not, He’s Coming
Did you play the game, Hide and Seek, when you were a child? The familiar, “Ready or not, here I come” warns the person who is hiding to be ready.
Did you know that the Lord gives us a, “Ready or not, here I come” that is not child’s play? It is a serious warning that Jesus is coming and we need to be ready.
Revelation 1:5-7 records the warning. “Behold, He is COMING with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”
Jesus is coming…again. The word, “amen” in verse 7 means there’s no discussing it. It’s happening. We will either be ready for Christ’s appearing because we’ve repented of our sins or Jesus will come and find us in our sin.
If you’re not ready for Christ’s coming, respond to His gift of salvation today. (John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and Romans 10:8-11) Repent of your sins. Confess Jesus as Lord. Receive His gift of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. Today is your opportunity. Prepare to meet Jesus. Ready or not, He’s coming.
Lord Jesus, COMING KING, as You came to earth once, You are coming again. Thank You for cleansing us of our sin so we are ready to meet You. Stir the hearts of the unsaved to realize that ready or not, You are coming.
Jaw Dropping Love
Have you noticed that hate between people seems to be in the news more than love is in the news? That’s what makes God the Father and Jesus’ love for us so jaw dropping.
Think about it for a minute. Jesus, at age 12, described the temple as the house of His Heavenly Father and in so doing claimed familial intimacy with God. At Jesus’ baptism, His Heavenly Father claimed intimacy with Him, saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17.
“Beloved Son” is a term that means esteemed, dear, favorite Son.
Yes, believers are sons and daughters of God. Yet when we ponder the magnitude of our Heavenly Father’s sacrifice in sending His favorite only begotten Son to die for our sins (John 3:16), and when we think of the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice when He left His Heavenly Father to come to earth to die for us, we can’t help but have profound gratitude and wonder at their love.
Heavenly Father and BELOVED SON, we praise You for Your magnanimous love, grace, and sacrifice. Thank You! We love You.
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Do You Remember When
How old were you when you first heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life”? It’s an incredible invitation to every person in the world. Think about it!
- God so loves the world that He took action to save us.
- God sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on our behalf.
- God invites everyone to believe and be saved.
- God promises the gift of eternal life to those who believe in Jesus.
Pray fervently for any unsaved person you know to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be saved. Pray for eyes to see the opportunities God is giving you to share Him with others.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ. Stir us to draw closer to You and to share You with others. We love You and thank You for the incredible gift of the forgiveness of our sins and salvation in Christ.
Think Bigger
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Some time ago my son sent me a video, “How big is the Milky Way?” Watching it was an incredible reminder that I often make God too little. He’s Christ for believers. He’s the Jew’s long-awaited Messiah. But Isaiah 54:5, explains that it’s important to think bigger about who Christ is. “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth.” God of ALL the EARTH. “For God so loved the WORLD, He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16. As we celebrate the Risen One’s sacrifice and what it means for our life, would you join me in prayerful consideration of how faithful we are in spreading His message to our world? One way you can do that is by sharing this 365 Days of Praise on Facebook, Instagram, or by emailing it. We never know who may see, read, and believe.
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, forgive us when we think too small and only of our family and friends. Quicken our hearts to take seriously Your words to make disciples of all the nations. Quicken us with ways to do our part.
Are You A Delight to God?
Have you ever considered that the Heavenly Father delights in Jesus? Yes, Jesus is God’s DELIGHT as Isaiah 42:1 points out. “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul DELIGHTS.” In a world full of evil, what a blessing it must be for the Heavenly Father to look at Jesus and say, “My soul delights in You.” Reading His words stirs in me a longing for our Heavenly Father to delight in me, but I’m so mindful of my sin I can’t imagine that being the case. Then again, could our Heavenly Father delight in us, while not delighting in our sin? Yes. Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” Our Heavenly Father has set His affection on us. He loved us even before we were saved. (John 3:16) Now that we are saved, He loves and corrects us like we love and correct our children. So while celebrating God’s pure delight in Jesus, we learn what is pleasing to our Heavenly Father and how to walk by His Spirit so we can increasingly give Him reason to delight in us.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, in whom Your soul finds pure delight. Thank You for delighting in us while we learn to walk in Your ways.
Ready or Not, He’s Coming
Did you play Hide and Seek when you were a child? The familiar, “Ready or not, here I come” warns the person who is hiding to be ready. Revelation 1:5-7 is not child’s play. It is a serious warning that Jesus is coming and we need to be ready.
Behold, HE IS COMING with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
“Amen” means there’s no discussing it. It’s happening. We will either be ready for Christ’s appearing because we’ve repented of our sins and been forgiven or Jesus will come and find us in our sin and shame. If you’re not ready for Christ, respond to His gift of salvation today. Read John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:8-11. Confess Jesus as Lord. Repent of your sins. Receive His gift of cleansing you of sin and His gift of the Holy Spirit. Today is your opportunity. Prepare to meet Jesus. He’s coming.
LORD JESUS, COMING KING, we believe that as You came once to earth you are coming again. Thank You for Your gift of salvation. Stir the hearts of the unsaved to realize that ready or not, You are coming. Stir our hearts to tell others about Your gift of salvation.
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Jaw Dropping Love
Have you noticed that hate between people seems to be in the news more than love? That’s what makes God the Father and Jesus’s love for us so jaw dropping. Think about it for a minute. Jesus, at age 12, described the temple as the house of His Heavenly Father and in doing so claimed familial intimacy with God. At Jesus’s baptism, His Heavenly Father claimed intimacy with Him, saying,
This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17.
“Beloved Son” is a term that means esteemed, dear, favorite Son. Yes, we are sons and daughters of God. Yet when we ponder the magnitude of our Heavenly Father’s sacrifice when He sent His favorite Son to die for our sins (John 3:16), and when we think of the magnitude of Jesus’s sacrifice when He left His Heavenly Father to come to earth to die for us, we can’t help but have profound gratitude and wonder at their love for us.
Heavenly Father and Beloved Son, we praise You for Your magnanimous love, grace, and sacrifice so we can live with You in eternal glory. Thank You! Thank You! We love You.
Do You Remember When
How old were you when you first heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life”? It’s an incredible invitation to every person in the world. Think about it!
- God so loves the world that He took action to save us.
- God sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on our behalf.
- God invites everyone to believe and be saved.
- God promises the gift of eternal life to those who believe in Jesus.
Pray fervently for any unsaved person you know to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be saved. Pray for eyes to see opportunities God is giving you to share Him with others.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ. Stir us to draw closer to You and to share You with others. We love You and thank You for the incredible gift of the forgiveness of our sins and salvation in Christ.
