John 3:16 “…that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have ever-lasting life.”
Yesterday Lee and Jennifer invited Sonja and I over for a little birthday celebration for David Lee (he turned three). Of course, we brought with us a gift as did the others that attended. At David Lee’s age, it was all a little confusing for him. He did not understand that behind those gifts were a lot of love and affection. That’s OK, at that age it is expected.
However, as children grow up expectations change. For example, there is a world of difference between a 3-year-old and a 30-year-old. If a 30-year-old received a gift from someone who loved them deeply and they ignored the giver and ignored the gift then we would look at that person with great disdain and consider them an unworthy person to have received the gift.
Furthermore, it would be very hurtful to the one that loved that 30-year-old so much that they gave the gift to them.
That leads me to the “whosoever” in John 3:16. God so loved every man, woman, boy and girl that He gave the priceless gift of His only Son to die on a Cross for their salvation. Not only that, but everyday God sends countless gifts of His providence and mercy.
Yet every day I am afraid that the vast majority of people never look up to heaven and thank God for yet another sunrise, another day of life, another day of provision, and another chance to love and live. And then there is the gift of Jesus…untold millions have received this great gift and don’t even know it! And oh so many that have heard of Jesus ignore Him, discount Him and even take His name in vain.
My dear prayer partners, it is so easy to look at these people as we would the 30-year-old in my earlier illustration. However, in reality, most are like my 3-year-old grandson. They are a “whosoever” that doesn’t understand the huge ramifications of God giving His only begotten Son. The bible describes them in terms of being blind, deaf and even spiritually dead. Yet to reject the gift of Jesus Christ is devastating – they shall perish.
Again, I feel an urgency behind my call for you to pray. Brothers and sisters, we must pray. Lives are at stake. There are people we interact with every day that are trampling on the blood of Jesus Christ and don’t even know it. They are rejecting the love and mercy of God everyday and are blind to the fact. They are blind to the reality that the gift card of Jesus Christ has an expiration date on it. God will not always strive with man; there will come a time that the mercy of God expires.
You and I know people personally in which the clock is running out. We must pray brothers! We must pray and beg God to help us put legs to those prayers.
Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
(Luke 10:2)
The ONE THING 