My Father's Will

Chuckle: When you have three boys, it's hard to know whom to blame when something goes wrong in the house. One father explained to a friend how he solved the problem: "I send all three to bed without letting them watch television. In the morning, I go after the one with the black eye!"

Quote: "Our salvation, thank God! depends much more on His love of us than on our love of Him" --Fr Andrew SDC, "Meditations for Every Day"

Jesus said, "For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life -- that I should raise them at the last day" (John 6:40 NLT).

With an attitude of thanksgiving and amazement, just be still for a moment and let the significance and wonder of Jesus' words in this verse sink deep into your mind and heart. If this truth doesn't stir your heart and cause you to rejoice and praise God nothing will. In the preceding verse, Jesus deals with the eternal security of those who know Christ as Savior. "And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the last day." This gives us assurance that anyone who sincerely commits his or her life to Jesus Christ as Savior remains secure in God's promise of eternal life.

Not only is it God's will that everyone come to know Christ as Savior, He does everything possible to give us opportunity. "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent" (2 Peter 3:9 NLT). How should we respond to God who has done so much for us? We should all make certain we are ready for Christ's return by entrusting our lives and eternal destiny into His hands. We should be ready for His imminent return but plan our lives of service as if He may not return for a many years.

Why would God do so much to bring us into fellowship with Himself and prepare us to spend eternity in His presence? Answer: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV). There's the answer -- it's God's unfathomable love, amazing grace, and compassionate mercy. How can anyone reject God's free gift of salvation by grace through faith in His Son? Each of us must answer this question for our self. But knowing it is God's will that everyone come to Him, should motivate us to share His love at every opportunity.

"Man needs, above all else, salvation. He needs to turn round and see that God is standing there with a rope ready to throw to him if only he will catch it and attach it to Himself." --Norman Goodacre

Love, Jerry & Dotse