Familiarity can rob believers of a reverent mindset.
Last week, I was reading a devotional book concerning John 3:16. It might have been the first scripture verse I memorized. It was for a Sunday school class at the age of eight.
If you’re like most believers who attended Sunday school when you were young, you also learned the verse. Probably you can still quote it today. The passage is rich in spiritual meaning with depths you can never fathom. As I was reading, a new thought came to me. Let me paraphrase it as it opened to me.
The Father loved me so much that He allowed His only Son to die in my place. The sinless One became the substitute for my sin. I didn’t pay the price for my sin, but Christ did. Why? Because Jesus loved me, too. My Savior said, “You trusted Me. Heaven will be your new home.”
Though I have known Jesus for decades, the refreshing reality of my heavenly Father sending His Son was revitalizing. Also, that Jesus Himself was saying these words added more spiritual insight.
Today, God, the Father, isn’t just sitting on the throne watching us. He is tenderly concerned about the minute details of every believer.
With that thought in mind, maybe you will pick up your Bible and reread John 3:16. This time read it slowly and methodically allowing the Father to show you some never-known thoughts about Him.
As a child of God, especially an older child, a trip down your spiritual memory lane will refresh your soul concerning our Father’s love for you.
