Right now. Today. As you are. Without change, but not an end a beginning. The start of something new, a new work. To use the King James vernacular, yeah verily, verily I tell you the truth that God wants to involve you in not just His plan, but your life. Believe that; you are wanted in the Divine Plan, really.
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NASB)
Individually. Each. Every. Any. All. The Whole. Everyone. All Things. Everything. Collectively. Some of All Types. These are some of the definitions the Greeks used to apply to the word that has been translated for ‘whoever’ in John 3:16. Read that passage with any of those words substituted for ‘whoever’ and see what you get. It’s an interesting exercise.
You, the individual. God did that for you, for each of us. He did it for everyone and anyone, the whole world; all things. Everything, all of us collectively.
Those words from John 3:16 coupled with the idea that God did this for everyone and the individual at the same time can seem impossible. Keep in mind this is God we’re talking about, for whom nothing is impossible. God sacrificed his Son for all people and for you, specifically you. Think you’re broken? God sacrificed His Son for you knowing who you are. He did that for you exactly as you are right now, this minute, without any change in how you live or who you are.
Sound like a big deal? It is. You’re special to God. He absolutely had you in mind when He decided to send Jesus to Earth to make this sacrifice. He also had that stranger you saw in the grocery store the other day specifically in mind when He made that decision. It can make your head spin trying to work through something like that, or you can leave that to God and just say thank you.
Does just saying thank you feel like it’s not enough after someone died on your behalf? Okay, there is a better way to say thank you to Him. Commit to Him that you’ll try to learn more about how He thinks people should live together, and then strive to live like that. Simple. How do you do that? That’s simple too. Talk to Him, and read what He gave us as his explanation.
God’s explanation He gave us is called The Bible. There are lots of people in the world who want to tell you what God said, but you can read it for yourself, and decide what He said, for yourself. Talk to Him when you have questions about what you’ve read, but be willing to follow the answers you get. Oh, He’ll answer you, you just have to be willing to listen, and then when you hear follow through with what you heard. Why would God be willing to do all this? Well, He already sacrificed His Son for you, but He also thinks you are trying to be a good person and You Are Worthy.
Questions for Reflection
- Given all the definitions covered by the Greek word Pas is there anyone not included? Why or why not?
- Was God’s sacrifice of His only Son a big deal? Why or why not?
- If everyone is included as the definitions of the Greek word Pas indicate and God’s sacrifice of His Son was a big deal, what should each of us do about those facts?
You are not trash. You are not wasted. You are not broken. You are loved. You are pursued. You are wanted, because God says You Are Worthy.
This devotion relates to the scripture used in the book You Are Worthy by Mark Malcolm, coming to Kindle soon. To be kept up to date on the release of this, and other writings from The Cavalier, join us on Facebook HERE or follow us on Twitter @FirstChevalier.
