Whoever...

Our church service today, my personal reading, and some blogs that I've read lately, have left me thinking.

Deeply.

The Pastor kind of summed up much of what's been marinating in my head for a few weeks. He used the very familiar passage of John 3:16--"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." He kind of zeroed in on that word "whoever"...and really continued to drive home that point...WHOEVER means just what it says: anyone, everyone, whichever person, all humanity. It's there for everyone.

Yet we live in a society that throws conditions into almost everything. I'll love you IF, or WHEN, or BECAUSE. When you do X, you'll get Y. Additionally, our society bombards us with images that shout to so many of us, "You're not ____ enough." You fill in the blank...pretty? smart? thin? tough? happy? good?

But, this verse in John says WHOEVER. It doesn't say "Whoever gives enough money..." "Whoever has the right clothes..." "Whoever knows enough stuff..." "Whoever drives the right car..." Nope. It only says "WHOEVER BELIEVES". There is no other condition.

Believe.

I remember when DH and I first married I took an Evangelism Explosion course. One of the illustrations in there about belief asked the seeker: "You're sitting in that chair right? When did you believe that chair would hold you? You had to believe it before you sat, otherwise you wouldn't have given it a try." Once you've sat, however, there is no "belief"...there's only reality that the chair is holding you.

Belief doesn't require proof...it requires faith. And it's OK if we take that journey one little step at a time.

WHOEVER.

The pastor asked us today, "Do you have friends who believe or act differently than you? Do you have friends who are Buddhist? Muslim? Atheist? Gay?" No matter who it is, or what the lifestyle, the entire human race fits into God's WHOEVER. And they fit where ever they are right now...

And when I really think about it, there are people with whom I "rub elbows" every single day who I am certain don't feel like they fit in the "WHOEVER" of God. For whatever reason, they are stuck behind a wall of self-doubt, pride, hate, anger, bitterness, fear, shame...and they don't let themselves believe that GOD GAVE HIS SON for WHOEVER. But HE did.

And he did it for one reason and one reason only.

Because he LOVED the WORLD. EVERYTHING and EVERYONE in it.

And because of that amazing love, WHOEVER can have FOREVER!