"The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person
entering Life he brings into Light." John 1:9 (MSG)
The real Life-Light came to our neighborhood, and the
Creator met His creation face to face. His message was quite simple. It was not
a message of condemnation, but a message of genuine love, a message that brought
life-light in our neighborhood: "This is how much God loved the world: He gave
his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be
destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God
didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing
finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world
right again. John 3:16-17 (MSG)
Truly we deserved to be condemned, as none of us was
ever guiltless. We lost our way, we became distant from our Heavenly Father.
Nonetheless, Jesus sees us differently.
Jesus came to tell us that He loves us. Those who
accepted His message enjoyed the Life-Light and became more and more like Him,
loving the unlovable, caring for the needy, being followers of love. They became
light bearers of the Most High: "Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a
light stand-shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up
to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in
heaven." Matthew 5:16 (MSG)
This reminds me of last summer. We had landed in
Reykjavik on our way to Belgium. We were required to go through border patrol
before taking our connector flight to Brussels. It was interesting to see how
solemn everyone was. They're was hardly any noise at all. We didn't know what to
expect, but when we arrived at the booth, the border guard didn't look at us
suspiciously at all. Instead, at the sight of my passport, he smiled broadly. He
said: "We have a lot in common my friend. I too came from Belgium and married
someone outside of Belgium. I live now in Iceland and you live in Canada.
Welcome to Iceland!" Wow! I never was welcomed like that before.
And that, friends, is how God welcomes us: With open
arms. After all, He is love and His words to us are: "Welcome my friend. We have
a lot in common. I have loved you since you were conceived."
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.