It can be so hard to see God’s love for us as we face loss and heartache. We wonder where he is, and we struggle to see how he could be working all things together for our good. It is important to understand the nature of God that is revealed in this passage- he is omniscient and omnibenevolent.
Jesus chose to walk through hell so that we could experience heaven. He knew the price it would cost and willful laid down his life in oder for humanity to discover what life truly is.
He loves us enough to give us grace, but he also loves us enough to not leave us in our sin. In this same chapter, Jesus says that all who sin are slaves to sin.
This chapter tells me that when I struggle with doubt, I’m normal. Even Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe. We see the crowds debating and reasoning about whether or not Jesus was who he said he was. I’d say that it makes sense then for people to still struggle with who Jesus is 2,000 years later!
God isn’t asking me to be perfect in order to receive salvation and relationship with him.
The text says that the only work required of us is to believe.
If I fully embrace the truth of who Jesus is and what he wants for each person, I will spend more time loving people than judging their actions. If I stop focusing on how I think God should act, I will be able to recognize more of what he is doing all around me.
Understanding we are spiritual creations first helps realign our perspective to God’s perspective. This profound truth encourages us to pray more, seek God’s presence more, have times of fasting, be more generous, and most of all, love and view people the way that He views them.
To me, the host saying those words is heavier than just a statement about good wine. It’s saying that each of us receives the best because that’s who Jesus is in our lives.
When I was struggling to believe God’s love was for me because I was lost and clouded by grief and failure, I read through the scriptures with fresh eyes, seeking words of hope. The words unfailing love and faithfulness caught me again and again. It was the truth I’d read a hundred times before but failed to see because I hadn’t needed it yet.