Lord, thank you for making salvation so simple: believe in our hearts and speak with our mouths that Christ Jesus is the risen Lord!
The words of John 3:16, if believed, can bring us great comfort and peace. If we don’t believe them, however, we might be confused by this extravagant and unbelievable exchange: God traded his only child for a bunch of thankless sinners! That kind of sacrifice seems totally inconceivable. This exchange may appear irrational to some, but let’s consider how much crazier it would be to turn down His extraordinary offer of eternal life.
Lord, when we remember the past, some memories bring regret and even shame. Thank you for this new life that comes with the opportunity to correct past mistakes and to make new and better memories.
O Lord, I usually pray that you will make my problems disappear rather than ask you to show me how to work through them. I want you to change my circumstances when you have given me the circumstances so I will change my character. Help me to learn your lessons so that I can become the person you want me to be.
In the overture to an opera, we hear bits of the musical themes but don’t get to experience the richness of the entire score, or the amazing voices, libretto, scenery, costumes, and dancing. Our life here is much like a musical introduction; it’s just a short prelude to eternity. Once we realize our days on earth are only the overture, it’s easier to understand why we don’t have everything we want here and now. It is only after death that we will experience the real fullness of life.
That sentence says it all. Thank you, God!
Devotions of the Heart 