Accepting the Gift

Apr 22, 2020

DAILY GRACE

April 22, 2020, Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter

Scripture: John 3:16-21

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

            The Word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God.

Meditation

        “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son . . .”

   A true gift is given out of love with no strings attached. The receiver may either accept the gift with joy, hugging or kissing the giver, or disregard the gift’s value and reject it, perhaps even ignoring the giver. Jesus compares himself to a gift given to humanity by his Father, who gives us his only Son so that we may have eternal life through him. As a loving Father, God only wants the best for us, and so offers us this great unconditional gift — a gift meant for all. Will we accept the gift and open our hearts to God’s love? Or will we refuse to accept the gift and turn away from God’s love? To put it in the Gospel of John’s terms, will we live in the light or walk in the darkness?

   It is easier and safer to travel during the day than at night. At night, even where there are streetlights, it’s easier to make a wrong turn or miss a highway exit. Dangers also may lurk on dark lonely roads. In a similar way, we can live in spiritual light or spiritual darkness. If we choose darkness, we will see neither our attachments (the things that bind us) nor our need to be freed from them by God’s merciful love. On the other hand, the consistent them of John’s Gospel is that we can choose light over darkness, life over death.  In other words, we can accept Christ’s love and live in his truth, — truth that sets us free. The more we do, the more “it may be clearly seen that [our] deeds have been done in God.”

Prayer

    Lord Jesus, risen Savior, I thank you for proving your love by giving your life for the world. That includes me. I praise you for raising me up to new life, and giving me through your resurrection the promise of eternal life  with you. May I never reject this gift but always keep my heart open, so that your light may shine through and my “deeds may be clearly seen as done in God.”

Contemplation                     

   “Whoever lives the truth comes to the light . . .”