PROFOUND

Pro-found adj. difficult to fathom or understand - That's the only way I can think to describe our omniscient God, who chose to fix His affection on us before He even created the world, knowing all the while that we were going to rebel against Him.  But it gets even better - knowing that we would be a rebellious people, He conceived a plan, a way to restore our relationship with Him, and He did all this before laying the foundations of the earth, before Adam drew his first breath.  How true when He says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways . . . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than yours (Is. 55:9-10)."

So Jesus the Christ came and while we were still sinners - enemies of God - He died for us. The Perfect died for the imperfect. The Righteous died for the unrighteous. Absolutely profound!  A song of praise wells up in my soul - "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.  Sin had left a crimson stain.  He washed it white as snow." August Toplady said it rightly "Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to Thy cross I cling.  Naked come to Thee for dress.  Helpless look to Thee for grace.  Foul I to Thy fountain fly.  Wash me Savior or I die."

Diversity & Inclusion

I received an e-mail last night from one of my company's plant managers in Texas.  He was telling everyone that he had accepted the assignment to “Champion” Diversity & Inclusion for our business here in the U.S.  He went on to say that he had volunteered for the assignment because he is passionate about D&I.  I'm sometimes skeptical about company initiatives, because they often appear to only be the flavor of the month (or year) so to speak. As I thought about this further, however, it occurred to me that the God of the Bible is truly passionate about Diversity and Inclusion.

The apostle John was given a vision of a future scene in heaven in which many people are praising Jesus. Describing what he saw he says, "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Rev. 5:9).'"  Now that's Diversity! No people group on earth will be left out.

God is not only passionate about Diversity, but He's also passionate about Inclusion.  The Apostle Paul tells us that God our Savior "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4)."  He doesn't want anyone left out.  Salvation, i.e., eternal life, is available to everyone.  You see "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16)." Eternal life is freely available to all.  God desires to include everyone.  To be included, one needs only to believe in Jesus as the guarantor of eternal life..

God's Gift and the Giver

I was reading John 4 last night about Jesus' encounter at Jacob's well with the Samaritan woman from Sychar. When she wanted to know why He was asking her for a drink, Jesus responded, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman needed to know two things: 1) What is God's gift? and 2) Who gives the gift?

Jesus by His very question implies to her that He is the Giver of the gift. He also refers to the gift as "living water." Jesus continues the conversation telling the woman that "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." God's gift to us is eternal life and the one who gives it is Jesus. The woman still didn't quite get all that Jesus was trying to tell her and she said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." Jesus' response was pointed and clear, "I who speak to you am He."

At this, the woman returned to Sychar and told others about her encounter with Jesus the Messiah. Many from the town went out to see Him and believed. What did they believe? Just what Jesus had told the woman - that God's gift is eternal life and He is the Giver of that gift to those who believe.

John 6:47 ""Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has eternal life."