That You May Believe

John 14:29 - And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.

That you may believe. This what Jesus is all about. Believing...in Him...that we might have life and more abundant life. That we would be free from our sins. That we would take hold of the greatest gift available to man...Jesus Himself.

That you may believe. From Genesis to Revelation it has been told to us that we might believe. We have seen Jesus in the sacrifices and feasts of the Old Testament. We have seen a type of Jesus in Adam, Moses, Noah, Joshua, David, Jonah. He is seen in the personages of prophets, priests and kings. He is seen in the feasts and sacrifices, articles of the temple, the temple itself. Even parts of the early tabernacle, the colors and materials, symbolize who Jesus is. That's why it's all about Him.

That you may believe. All that the disciples saw Him do, speak, how He acted or reacted were for the benefit of any who viewed Him...that they would believe...and carry this message to others and carry on His story. Become His disciples, even today.

That you may believe. The Bible has events and stories of people and places and wars and good and evil to show us how to live. To show us how God operates in people's lives, how He orchestrates our lives, how even bad things can turn into good for those who trust in Him.

That you may believe. I consider today's lifestyle and the way things seem to be deteriorating in our world. Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 24 what to look for...that we may believe when it happens. That we may believe in the One who gave His life that we might be saved.

That you may believe. Again, the entire story of Jesus came about that we may believe. If our hearts are open to receive, to understand, to soak in all that He has told us, shown us, promises us, He is so willing to become our Savior. But salvation only happens when we give up our own strength and allow His strength to work through us. When we do, then we may believe that all He has spoken is true.

Jesus often told us He spoke the truth...that we may believe. He told us He was the Way, the Truth and the Life. His truth sets us free and sanctifies us. His truth can abide in us forever by the power of the Holy Spirit (because that same Spirit will reside within us and therefore will never leave us or forsake us once we have received Him and continue to follow Him). He is truth and grace.

God had a plan. His plan was Jesus...His Son, but also Himself. He showed Himself to us, He chose to write a story about Himself, a great autobiography known as the Bible. A book that describes all He can be for anyone who chooses Him.

This Book is Jesus, the Word of God. It shows what happens to those who choose to come and receive His gifts of grace, mercy and salvation...and also what happens if we do not...a hard truth. It has shown us the flawed people God used...how we are all flawed, and how He will use all our flaws for good. How He cleans up our imperfections and adorns us with robes of righteousness. How our dark lives can be made bright through our receiving of Him. How our unhappiness or turmoil can become peace.

That you may believe. The Book. The accounts. The people, the wars, the good, the evil. The miracles. The birth, the life, the death of Jesus. All pointing to one thing...abundant life in Christ Jesus. That you may believe.

John 20:30-31 - And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.