A Promise with a Warning
“Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until He reveals His plans to His servants the prophets.”
Amos 3:7 (NLT)
If God desires for us to know Him, it only makes sense that He would want us to know His plans. Throughout Scripture, you will see a pattern of God speaking through the prophets to warn His people of imminent danger. In the book of Genesis, God spoke to Abraham warning him of the judgment He was bringing on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah where his nephew Lot lived. In Genesis 18:17 (NLT), God said, “Should I hide My plan from Abraham?”
Even in judgment, God is merciful. He takes extreme measures to prevent the painful consequences of having to judge us in our sins. The most extreme measure was the cross. Knowing how lost we were and condemned we are apart from Him; God took the initiative to send His one and only Son to die on our behalf! You can’t get more extreme than that in dealing with sin. John 3:16 says, “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.”
God desires for us to experience His life - eternal life! That life is in His Son. That’s the good news! In fact, John goes on to tell us, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (Vs. 17)
Then, John gives a warning that is all a part of God’s redemptive plan. He says, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” (Vs. 18)
Why would we willingly want to be condemned? Why would we avoid the forgiveness that God offers in His Son? For the same reasons, people rejected God’s plan in the past. Sin. Sin is what separates us from God and causes us to live in darkness, thinking we can run our own lives independent of God. John puts it like this in the next few verses… “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (Vs. 19-21)
What about you? Have you ever considered God’s plan for your life? When you receive the life of Christ, He turns the light on! His light begins to shine in your life! You don’t have to hide for fear that your deeds will be exposed. God already sees them and offers you forgiveness and life in His Son! Receive Christ and experience God’s amazing plan for your life. When you do, you will become a trophy of God’s grace, putting His life on display so that others may see Christ in you!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.