John 5:18-24

John 5:18-24
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Lately, I've been listening to a number of podcasts discussing God's trinitarian nature.  God is three, and this matters because it helps us see that even before creation, God was (and always has been) relating to another in perfect love.  God was not idle or needy before God spoke the world into being -- God was perfectly fulfilled through the loving relationship that exists between the three persons of God. 
  This makes sense to us now, understanding God's relationship because we have the gift of looking backward, knowing about the resurrection, and we have time to study and reflect on how this worked.  At the time, Jesus was trying to convince the Jews that he was God, which was challenging.  Imagine someone coming into your house today and explaining how they are God.  I imagine you'd be skeptical, maybe even if there were miracles to back it up.  We have the luxury of knowing that Jesus fully establishes his divinity by predicting his own resurrection and then fulfilling that prediction before ascending into heaven in plain view of the disciples. 
  Truly, truly, I saw to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.  He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
  May those words of Jesus Christ calm your soul today, and give you confidence in knowing that your belief in God has secured your eternal future.  Knowing that future is secure, how will you love and serve your neighbor today?