Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: John 3 and Psalm 38

Having spent Holy Week and Easter in the chapters of John’s Gospel that relate to His Passion, Death and Resurrection, we now return to the rest of the Gospel, starting where we left off on 22 March. And it’s a great place to resume, because Jesus speaks very clearly about the result of His Crucifixion in John 3:14-15,

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’

The point of Jesus’ life and death is to open the way for us to enter God’s Kingdom and receive eternal life. Please remember (from our devotion on John 17:3) that eternal life is a quality of life, which flows out of an intimate relationship with God, and continues forever! And Jesus promises us in John 3 that He gives the free gift of this “eternal life” to all who abandon their deeds of darkness (v.19-21) and believe in Him (v.15 – 18). When we believe in Jesus, we receive a spiritual birth into this eternal life, by the power of the Holy Spirit (v.3-8). By faith in Jesus we are “born again” (v.3); we are “born of the Spirit” (v.8); we start a brand new life, lived in a relationship with God that is unhindered by our sins, because in Jesus they are dealt with and forgiven.

It’s like I said on Easter Sunday at the 6am and 9am Services: Just as the Father knelt down in the dust of Eden to breathe life into the lifeless body of Adam, He knelt down in the garden-tomb to breathe life into the lifeless body of Jesus, and He kneels down today beside anyone who believes in His beloved Son Jesus, to breathe life into them – His life, His breath, His Spirit.

Hallelujah! Let’s rejoice in the gift of our eternal life today.

Life Application: Entrust your life to Jesus afresh today and consciously receive the in-breathing of the Holy Spirit to fuel your intimacy with God again.