You can make the most famous promise your own personal promise!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 NKJV)

This is undoubtedly the best-known promise in the Bible. You see John 3:16 posted prominently in many places, such as on billboard signs, on the sides of buses, on bumper stickers, and even painted on people’s faces and bodies, at televised sporting events.

But, sadly, most people don’t understand what it means!

Let’s define the words within the verse

– For God (the creator, Himself)

– So loved (cared for deeply and affectionately)

– The world (the whole of human civilization)

– That He gave (He freely transferred the possession of)

– His only (the only one He had)

– begotten Son (born son)

– that whosoever (whoever, anyone, any person)

– believes (truly accepts, wholeheartedly trusts, puts confidence in)

– In Him (the Savior, Jesus Christ)

– should not perish (not destroyed, not permanently lost)

– but have everlasting (eternal, endless)

– Life (intimate relationship with the living God)

Make it your personal promise!

John 3:16 is a very wonderful and personal promise! You can personalize it and apply it to your life this way: Add YOUR NAME everywhere you see an asterisk * below.

“For God so loved * that He gave

His only begotten Son, that if *

believes in Him. *  should not perish

but * shall have everlasting life.”

Signed in His Blood, Jesus Christ

Why God did this wonderful thing

Most people have heard John 3:16, but not the very next verse, John 3:17, which explains clearly why God sent His Son into the world.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17 NKJV).

God sent Jesus to save the world!

You must receive Him for yourself

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12 KJV)

It changed my life!

I received Jesus Christ into my life many years ago while driving down a busy road! I had just read a little gospel booklet that I had found in a glove compartment. It explained to me how to pray a simple prayer of faith to ask Jesus for forgiveness and to be my Savior.

I prayed, “Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me!  I believe in you and need you! Please forgive me of my sins and come into my life. I invite you to be my Savior! In Jesus Name, Amen!

That simple prayer changed my life dramatically forever that day! 

Mike Frenchbible promises, john 3:16, saved, salvation, jesus, prayer for salvation
God chose to love you, and you can choose to love, too!

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8 ESV)

An old saying you often hear is, “Forgive and forget!” But, when someone hurts you deeply, it’s impossible to do! You just can’t do it no matter how hard you try. In fact, the very act of trying to forget an offense only brings it up again and actually reinforces it. So, what do you do?

Don’t forget it, just forgive it!

You choose to do what’s right no matter how you feel, because it is the correct and loving thing to do! 

“Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8b ESV).

That’s what Jesus did for you and all humanity on the cross! 

Jesus did not feel like doing the right thing. In fact, He felt just the opposite! He sweat great drops of blood in anguish about it (Luke 22:44). He had a way out, too, He could have called thousands of angels to rescue Him, (Matt. 26:53), yet, He didn’t! He chose to do the right thing because of love (John 3:16).

Look beyond the offense

You can choose to do the correct thing when you decide to look beyond an offense (fault) to see the bigger picture on the other side of it. When Jesus was on the cross he cried out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34 KJV). He chose to look beyond their fault and see their need!

“When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.” (Is. 53:11 NLT)

Expect God to make good come out of it

Keep in mind that God always sees the big picture of things. He has all the facts, and can make good come out of any situation no matter how it looks to you. Expect Him to!

Therefore…

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 NIV) And yes, this is another wonderful promise!

Mike French
You can shine brightly!

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5 NIV)

When you compare light with darkness you discover a very important truth, darkness does not exist. Darkness is only the absence of light. Think of it this way, you can have a flashlight but you cannot have a flash-dark. You cannot shine darkness because it does not exist. You cannot bring darkness into a room full of light and extinguish light, but you can, however, bring light into a dark room and extinguish darkness.

Light and darkness are metaphors for good and evil

 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7 NIV)

Jesus is the light of the world

There is another Light, a Light so important that Jesus, the Son of God, came to both declare and impart it to men. John 8:12 (NIV), says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.’” The allegory used by the Lord in this verse speaks of the light of His Truth, the light of His Word, the light of eternal Life. Those who perceive the true Light will never walk in spiritual darkness.

Jesus Christ brings light to the darkness of any heart. It is the Good News about the truth of God’s love that is capable of overcoming any obstacle, no matter how dark.

God’s light is shed upon the darkness of all sin, allowing human beings the opportunity to escape the dark grip of sin for the light of God’s love. This is why (and how) “the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NIV)

Therefore…

Jesus tells us to keep our light out in the open where it can do good.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 NKJV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, light, light of the world, shine your light, jesus is the light
Come near to God

“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8 NIV)

Want God to be near to you?

Notice the order of things described in this promise. It tells YOU to come near to God, and then, if you do, He will come near to you!

Many Christians have it backwards!

They spend a lot of time asking God to “come” to “bless” them, and to “hear their prayers,” when He has already made these things, and so much more, freely available to “whosoever” will simply reach out to Him and receive them by faith!

Come boldly 

The Bible says to “come boldly” to God to receive what you need. (Heb. 4:16) Another passage says to “seek Him first” and then, all that you need “will be added to you”. (Matt. 6:33) Notice, in each verse, you are instructed to take the initiative. And, that’s because God has already done His part! Notice that the following passage states that He “has” given us “everything”. 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

You just need to believe and act with faith!

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb. 11:16 ESV)

Therefore…

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13 ESV)

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” (Prov. 8:17 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, come near to god, come boldly to god, seek god first
God has given you complete assurance!

“I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12 KJV)

This a great assurance passage

Many Christians don’t know for sure that they are saved! They only hope they are. That’s unfortunate because the Bible says, “These things I have written to you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 NKJV) 

We must never be in doubt about our salvation! 

The price Jesus paid for us was more than sufficient! 

The following is 2 Tim. 1:12 defined with some supportive Scriptures added. I have taken each part of the passage and laid it out, word-by-word, and defined each part of it. Read through each part carefully to understand what it means to be fully assured of where you stand with God. There is absolutely no need to doubt!

  • “I know” – aware through observation, inquiry, or information. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16 NKJV)

  • “whom” – which is Jesus: “Son of God” (John 3:16),”the Name above all Names” (Phil 2:19), the one who “Holds all things together and by Him all things exist” (Col. 1:17).

  • “I believed” – personally accepted as true, genuine, and real. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9 KJV)

  • “and am persuaded” – totally convinced with no doubt. “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Rom. 4:21 KJV)

  • “that He is able” – He has the authority and power to do it! “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’.” (Matt. 28:18 NIV) And, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:24 KJV)

  • “to keep“ – nobody, or absolutely anything else, for that matter, can take it away from Him! “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29 NIV)

  • “that” – your spirit, soul and body. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes. 5:23 ESV)

  • “which I’ve committed” –  entrusted for safekeeping. “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.”  (Rom. 6:17 NASB)

  • “unto Him” – to Jesus. “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:2 NKJV)

  • “against that day” – when you die and go to be with the Lord. “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thes. 4:17 NIV)

Therefore…

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 ESV)

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, complete assurance, assurance
Keep your eye on God and don’t be shaken!

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:8 NIV)

I had taken my eyes off of the Lord

When I was first saved many years ago, I struggled with many doubts. Some of it was due to my own personal failures and some of it was because I was looking around at others who were imperfect or worse. Some had failed seriously and publicly. A pastor friend I had greatly respected had been caught in an affair and dramatically removed from his church.

I was an emotional wreck and it showed

Then, one evening, I went to a church meeting featuring a woman evangelist. I didn’t know the speaker was a woman until I was seated in the middle of the audience. I have to admit that I was very prejudiced against women preachers and I wouldn’t have gone to the meeting if I had known. But, there I was, so I just sat and listened to her.

She was delivering her message in a normal speaking voice. Nothing seemed strange or unusual. But suddenly she raised her voice greatly, pointed her finger directly at me and said, “Young man, stand up and listen to me!”

I was startled and embarrassed as I rose slowly to my feet 

She loudly and passionately said, “Get your eyes off of man and back onto God!” Then she lowered her voice and went instantly back to her message as though there hadn’t been an interruption.

I was greatly moved!

How did she know what I was going through at the moment and the exact words to say to me? What she said was exactly what I needed to hear! Therefore, I took it very seriously and did exactly what she said to do as though her words had come from God Himself.

“Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Heb. 13:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11 NLT)

Mike Frenchbible promises
Bold as a lion!

“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” (Prov. 28:1 NIV)

Flee at once!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as a practical joke, sent an anonymous telegram to several of his friends: “All is discovered. Flee at once!” All of them immediately left the country. Supposedly, all of these friends were upstanding and honorable people by all outward appearances, yet something was obviously going on inside their minds and hearts that was so frightening to them that it caused them to panic and leave the country!

All hearts are wicked!

The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 NKJV)

It’s because of the sin problem we have all inherited. The Bible says, “there is none righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:10 NKJV). 

Fear is a damaging force

The heart is a place for fear to exist. Fear is a very powerful and damaging force if anyone allows it to have control. It can cause people to totally withdraw and shut down, or even to act strange or irrational. 

There is good news!

The good news is that the heart can be changed by Jesus! (John 8:36) “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 NIV)

 You can be bold and control fear!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27b NIV)

And, understand that “the righteous are as bold as a lion.” And yes, that means you!

Therefore…

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 ESV)

“Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,” (2 Cor. 3:12 ES)

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” (Eph. 3:12 ESV

Mike French
God knows all about you and still loves you!

“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34 NKJV)

At Jesus’ most painful and darkest hour, and from the very cross where He was being crucified, He looked beyond what was happening to Himself and focused instead on the needs of others. He asked for forgiveness for them and said something very interesting and powerful, “forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Jesus knew that if they had truly understood who He was, God’s very son, (1 John 4:15 & John 3:16), they would never have attacked Him! He had all the information. He knew why He was there, and what He was there for; “the Lamb of God, willingly laying down His life for the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) This information helped Him to do what was right in spite of how He felt!

Having the right information will help you treat others with kindness and forgiveness

In the same way, knowing that you are a redeemed person (1 Peter 1:18), and knowing that you have been forgiven and bought at the price of Jesus’ death on the cross, (1 Cor. 6:20), and knowing that you are a member of God’s family, (Eph. 2:19), and knowing that you are God’s Ambassador, (2 Cor. 5:20), then you too, can do the right thing as needed, even in difficult or extreme circumstances!

Don’t give evil for evil!

Instead do the very opposite. Be kind to those who are not kind to you. Be polite to those who are rude to you. Be patient to those who are impatient to you. Be loving to those who are unloving to you!

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)

Being kind to others helps you, too!

In a study conducted by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California, students were assigned the task of doing five random acts of kindness per week for six weeks. At the end of the study, the students’ levels of happiness had increased by 41.66 percent! Being kind to others had a profoundly positive effect on their own level of happiness!

Therefore…

“Do to others as you would have them to do to you.” (Luke6:31 NIV)

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32 ESV)

Quote:

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” - Mark Twain

Mike Frenchbible promises, god knows you, god loves you
A new body!

“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” (2 Cor. 5:1 NLT)

“Remember the Alamo!”

While visiting San Antonio for a conference I was speaking at, Susan and went to see the Alamo. It was a stark reminder of what had happened there during the Texas Revolution, February 23 to March 6, 1836, where so many had died. According to eye witness accounts it was a slaughter with perhaps as many as ten-to-one against those who were garrisoned within the walls of the Alamo. They didn’t have a chance and were brutally and mercilessly destroyed. Santa Anna’s cruelty during the battle outraged and emblazoned great numbers of Texans to rise up with the now famous battle cry, “Remember the Alamo!” and they defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto ending the revolution, on April 21, 1836. The Alamo is now called the “Alamo Shrine” and as you walk through it, you see many displays depicting what had happened during that battle, including lists of names of those who had died there, including Davie Crocket.

All are only temporary here

In the Bible passage at top, we are reminded of several important things.

  • “When we die and leave this earthly body” – All will die someday, some even tragically. As terrible as the Alamo battle was, it is now history! It is an undeniable fact that every single person involved in every aspect of the Texas Revolution is now dead! And it is a stark reminder to us that all people will die. Some tragically, as in the Alamo, some by natural causes, and some for many other reasons. There are no exceptions. The Bible says that everybody will eventually die. (Heb. 9:27)

  • Our new body will be “an eternal body”–  When we die we will get a new body to live in. There will come a day at the appearing of Jesus that our bodies, too, will be transformed and we will then have brand new transformed ones. (2 Cor. 5:3) Everything God creates is perfect and made with absolute excellence! (Psalm 86:8-10)

  • Our new body will be “made for us by God himself and not by human hands” – The body we have now is only temporary, but our resurrected body will be made perfect and will last indefinitely. (1 Corinthians 15:35-58) 

  • Our new body will be “in heaven” –  And, Jesus has prepared a wonderful place in Heaven for you to live.  (John 14:2-4)

To recap:

Someday, we too will be a part of history, because all die and we will too. But, no matter how we die, if we have received Christ (John 1:12), we will receive a brand-new body made by God that will last forever in Heaven! It’s a promise!

Therefore…

“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.” (Rom. 14:8 ESV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, a brand-new body