---That We May Believe ~~

--"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up:
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
[---John 3:14-15] --
-[Scripture Reading // Numbers 21:1-9 , John 3:13-21]

---AS the Israelites rebelled and were then punished by poisonous serpents, we have also turned from God and as a result have experienced the poison of sin in our lives. In today's Bible reading, Moses was commanded to lift up a brass serpent in the wilderness so that those who gazed at it could be healed. So we are to look to Christ's shed blood and perfect sacrifice on the cross to be saved and healed from sin. Had the Israelites not believed and obeyed, they would not have received healing from God.

Guided by the Holy Spirit we must ever be aware of our propensity toward sin and be on guard. We repent for the mistakes which we make. "Wash me thoroughly from from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me" (Psalm 51:2-3).

Let us remember that undesirable consequences for bad choices are designed by God to draw us to Himself. We must come to the place where we use chastisement as stepping stones to eternal life rather than stumbling blocks into bitterness.

We need to focus by faith, not on ourselves, but on what Christ did for us. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world though him might be saved." Then remember "That all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). To have such faith we must come to the place where Christ is all and we are nothing. ~~

'Behold the Saviour of mankind, nailed to the shameful tree;
How great the love that His inclined, to bleed and die for thee.'
--[Samuel Wesley, Sr ]
--BSW/FB~.