WHAT HAS GOD DONE FOR YOU:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him  should not perish, but have everlasting life."  -John 3:16...............

This is one of the best-known and often-quoted Bible verses todate. It so succintly summarizes God's love for you and me.  But What does that verse means to you? what does God's love means to you?? and what do you think God has done to demostrate his love for you????

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD"

   Many people are willing to credit God with the creation of the physical universe, nature and even humans themselves. They thank God daily for the gift of life and they also recognize that they are completely dependent on Him for all life's necessities, like air, water, food and the earth's natural cycles---so they can continue to enjoy their life.

      We do well to thank God for all this things for he is truly our maker and sustainer.. We can appreciate God's love more when we think of all he is doing to make life possible for us individually and generally. Apostle Paul puts it more vividly when he says in Acts 17:25,28.."God gives to all people life and breath and all things. For by him we have life and we move and exists".
     God's love however, is expressed in more ways than just caring for us physically. He has also elevated and dignified us by giving us spiritual capacity and helping us to satisfy it.(Matt 5:3) In this way, obedient humans have the prospect of becoming God's family, his children.(Romans 8:19-21). As John 3:16 goes on to say, God showed his love for us  by sending his son here on earth, to teach us about his God and Father and to die for us. Many, though do not truly understand why it was necessary for Jesus to die for mankind and how his death is an expression of God's love for us. Lets see how the Bible explains the Jesus death and its value to us.

"HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON"

    All mankind is mortal, subject to the scourge of sickness, old age and death. Yet, that was not what Jehovah God had originally purposed. He gave the first humans the prospects of living forever in a paradise on earth with only one condition, That they should obey him, failure to which they would die.(Gen 2:17). The first human did indeed rebel against God's authority and hence brought death upon himself and all his descendants. "Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned" --Romans 5:12.

      Jehovah God, how he loves justice(Psalms 37:28). Even though He could not ignore the deliberate act of transgression on the part of the first man, God has not condemned all humanity to suffering and death forever on account of one man's disobedience. On the contrary, by applying the legal principle of "LIFE for LIFE, He has balanced the scales of Justice and made everlasting life possible to all obedient mankind.(Ex. 21:23). The question now is, How could Adam's perfect human life be recovered?? The answer: Someone had to offer up, or sacrifice a life of equal value to that one which Adam had forfeitted, A Perfect Human Life. Clearly, No imperfect descendant of Adam could offer such a life as a price, But Jesus could.(Psalms 49:6-9) Born without the inherited stain of sin, Jesus was a perfect human, just as Adam was before he transgressed.
     Thus, by surrendering his life, Jesus ransomed the human family from the slavely to sin, and by so doing, he offered obedient descendants of the first human couple the oppurtunity to enjoy the same perfect life that Adam and Eve once did. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE NEED TO DO TO BENEFIT FROM SUCH A MAGNANIMOUS ACT OF LOVE??

"FOR WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM"

       This then, means that gaining everlasting life is conditional. If we are to gain everlasting life we have to believe and obey Jesus. In order to gain Gods favor, one needs more than a mental recognition that Jesus is the savior. The believer must also endevour to apply what Jesus taught. If there is no action, any profession of faith is hollow.(James 2:26). Simply put, What is required of the believer is that he exercise faith in Jesus...That is, He must live in accord with his beliefs and faith.
       "The love the Christ has compels us, because this is what we have concluded, that one man(Jesus) died for all.........And he died for all so that those who lives, no longer lives for themselves but for him that died for them and was raised up(2 Cor. 5:14,15).  Sincere gratitudes for Jesus sacrifice should move us to make the necessary changes in our life, from selfishly living for ourselves to living for him that gave his life for us. We need to give priority to what Jesus taught.  Such a change will necessarily affect our values, our choices and everything we do. And now, what will be the reward for those who do believe and exercise faith in Jesus??.....

"SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE!"

       The last part of John 3:16 expresses God's promise to those who exercise faith in the ransom provision and live according to divine standards. God intends such faithful ones "should not perish, but have everlasting life"  Different destinies, however, awaits individuals who benefits from God's love.

        To one group,  Jesus promised everlasting life in heaven. He clearly told his faithful disciples he wa about to prepare a place for them so that they could rule with him in glory.(John 14:2,3; Phillipians 3:20,21).  Those resurrected to life in heaven "Will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for 1,000 years.(Revelations 20:6)
          Only a limited followers of Christ would receive such a privilege. Infact, Jesus called them "The little flock"...How numerous then would that "little flock" be?   Revelations 14:4 says..."I saw, and look, the lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who have his name  and the name of his father written on their foreheads, these were bought from among mankind as the first-fruits to God and to the lamb"  With comparision to the countless billions who have ever lived, 144,000 constitutes only a "small flock".  These "small flock"  are described as kings, Then whom will be their subjects???
        Jesus also spoke of a second group of people whom will receive benefits from the heavenly kingdom .  John 10:16 says "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those too i must bring in, and they too will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd".......These other sheeps look for everlasting life on Earth..The same prospect that Adam and Eve entertained. How do we know that their future is Earthly??

PARADISE RESTORED:

     On numerous occasions, the Bible speaks of paradise conditions to come to Earth. You can see this for yourself in the Bible books of Psalms 37:9-11; 46:8,9; 72:7,8,16; Isaiah 35:5,6; 65:21,23; Matthew 5:5; John 5:28,29; Revelations 21:4
      Those aforementioned Bible verses foretells of an end to wars, famine, sickness and death. They speak of a time when good people will have the joy of being able to build their own houses, cultivate their own land, and raise their childrens in peaceful surroundings. We have a sound reason to believe that in the very near future such and more prospects will be fulfilled.

GOD HAS JUST DONE SO MUCH FOR US

If you pause to consider all that God has done for you and for the human family as a whole, it is clear that he has already done a great deal. We have life, intelligence, a measure of health and the means necessary to support life. More than that, God's gift of ransom through Jesus Christ, who died for us, can mean even greater blessings, as we have learnt from John 3:16.
     Everlasting life in peaceful, pleasant conditions, without the threat of illnesses, war, famine or death would surely open the door to endless happiness and blessings. Whether or not you receive those and more blessings depends entirely on you. 

THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAINS NOW IS, AFTER GOD HAS DONE ALL THIS FOR YOU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR GOD???