Interesting Insight Today

In this morning's devotions I read John 12:44-50. I'm sure I've read this passage many times before because portions of it were underlined and circled.  But for some reason Christ's words leaped out at me and hit me between the eyes...

Verses 46-48 were the particular verses that caught my attention:

"I have come as a light into the world,

that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, 

I do not judge him; 

for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words,

has that which judges him--

the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."

Verse 49-50:

"For I have not spoken on My own authority; 

but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command,

what I should say and what I should speak.

And I know that His command is

EVERLASTING LIFE.

Therefore, whatever I speak,

just as the Father has told Me,

so I speak."

~ Jesus Christ, the Son of God~

Then on my way to work I was listening to The Morning Cruise on the JoyFm, and they were interviewing Matthew West, the songwriter and contemporary singer, who has just released a new album this week: "Live Forever".  They played one of the songs entitled "Heaven is the Hope".  (UPDATE: ONE OF MY SWEET FRIENDS JUST SENT THIS LINK TO ME...SO I AM INCLUDING IT HERE FOR YOU TO LISTEN TO AND ENJOY AND BE BLESSED)  

Anyway, as I was listening to this song, something clicked inside of me...the verses above, and the realization that "heaven is our hope"....i.e.; "EVERLASTING LIFE"... and the fact that Jesus said in verse 50 that God's COMMAND, not suggestion, not thought, not wish, but God's COMMAND is EVERLASTING LIFE...that was God the Father's "command" to His Son Jesus when He sent Him on His earth mission...something like this:  (my interpretation)  

"Son, I am not sending you down there to judge the people...but to save them!  My command to you is to tell them how to have everlasting life...shed light in the darkness...tell them how much I love them...tell them I want to spend eternity with them because I love them.  I am commanding you to tell them this because they need to know how much I love them...and if they don't listen to your words, you will show them when you literally sacrifice your life and die for them."  

The "something" that "clicked" inside of me was the fact that this life is actually all about the next life. Life here on earth is definitely NOT all there is.  "Heaven is our Hope" because God sent His Son to show us how to get there.  God sent His Son to SAVE us, not to JUDGE us.  His desire was that we would be redeemed and delivered into heaven's gates when our life here is ended.  If we reject this invitation, we seal our own fate and then the judgment comes.

Remember this one? I'm sure you've heard it many times before:

"For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that WHOEVER believes in Him should not  perish

but have EVERLASTING LIFE!"

John 3:16

But did you ever read on to the next verse?

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through Him might be SAVED!"

John 3:17

It seems like we are the ones who have made this so difficult...not God.  We are the ones who keep making up all the rules and legalities and saying who can be saved and who can't.  That's not our job. That wasn't even Jesus' responsibility.  His job was to extend the invitation and make the way clear by taking all of our sins on Himself on the cross. All we have to do is accept the invitation and believe.  His blood covers us and prepares us for heaven. Then the Holy Spirit fills us, cleanses us and creates a new heart within. That's His job.  Not mine.  My job is to share these words with you as Christ has revealed them to me.  His word will do the work that God commanded...show you the way to everlasting life...heaven is our hope...and our final home.  How more simple could it be?

What interesting insights have YOU had today from God's Word?