Growing up, everyone in my Sunday school class was able to effortlessly quote John 3:16. In fact the verse was so much imprinted on our minds that even if we were awakened from sleep, we would have still been able to quote it. However, did we really understand the importance of this verse? Not really! Sometimes it is so easy to be engrossed in church activities and church quotes but difficult to have a relationship with God. We have not been called to just recite verses and creeds, we have been called to eternal life and this must be fully understood in order for us to reflect it in our daily lives. 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) Jesus had a conversation with Nicodemus, teacher of the law. Through the conversation, Jesus told Nicodemus of God’s eternal plan for mankind. God so much loved the world that He gave out His one and only Son who ultimately died and resurrected. But, anyone who believes in the Son of God will not perish but have eternal life. In telling Nicodemus this, Jesus emphatically confirmed that the only way to eternal life is by believing in Him (Jesus). Thus, the believer has been chosen to enjoy eternal life and this eternal life comes through Jesus. Therefore, it is understandable that God would expect us to grow into the image of Christ. How can we spend eternity with someone we are not like? It is not possible. The Christian journey does not end after we depart from this mortal body. We will spend forevermore with the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore, we need to have the Christ life, attitude, lifestyle, mentality, love, hope etc. No one would be happy to be in a union with someone they do not like. The same way, if we have been chosen to have eternal life, then we should start living on earth with an eternity mindset. We should be committed to knowing Jesus more and more through our Bible study, Bible reading, Quiet times, prayer times and also through our lifestyles. We cannot be excused from this Christ-centred lifestyle. Remember, just as you don’t want to spend a lifetime with someone who is not compatible with you, you cannot spend eternity with the Lord if you do not have an attitude of Christ.
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