“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)
Let’s set the record straight. I know what this verse says, but you cannot
read this verse, say to yourself, “I
believe in God … I believe in Jesus” and expect that you will go to
heaven. You must allow that belief to
cause a change in your life. There are
plenty of verses where Jesus Himself declares things like “If anyone loves me he will keep my word” (John 3:23a) or “Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word
will never see death.” (John 8:51) or “If
you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) and on and on. Read John 14:21, 24; 15:10; 1 John 2:5; 1
John 5:3; 2 John 1:6. And this just
scratches the surface. Our belief in the
existence of God and His Son is designed not just to give us something to
believe, but to place our trust in and reliance upon. It’s designed by God to alter the path of our
life.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) the apostle
Paul tells the believers in Corinth “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new.” Our belief should revolutionize our
life. We should shed our old skin as a
snake would. We should leave old habits
behind. Even those who think of
themselves as good, moral people would still be found guilty in the end because
it isn’t how we stack up to the multitudes around us, but rather how we stack up
to God. Belief is a start, living what
we believe is the continuation and heaven is the completion. Don’t just
believe in God, let that belief change your life. Until next time, walk with
the King and be a blessing!
