March 21, 1998

John 3: 14-15

Your Words Guide Us!

While relishing the beauty and grandeur of the language in my battered King James Version of the Bible, I felt the need for a translation which spoke more closely to my daily life so I asked for a "new" Bible for Christmas. My only stipulation was that the "swaddling clothes" be retained. My second son, Joshua, looked long and hard, finally purchasing The Life Application Study Bible. Unfortunately the "swaddling clothes" have been replaced by "bands of cloth," but I am finding it to be very user friendly.

It turns out that today's scripture, John 3:14-15, is closely paralleled in Numbers 21:7-9. In Numbers, Moses, busy leading his grumbling people through the wilderness, pauses to lift up a bronze snake on a pole so that the people, bitten by snakes sent by God, could gaze upon it and be saved from death by believing that God would heal them.

In John, we are reminded that our salvation occurs when we look up to Jesus, on the cross, believing that he will save us from eternal death. It is our faith which "saves" us.

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Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to be open to your teachings while participating fully in your kingdom. Amen. [Yesterday |Lenten Index | Tomorrow]