John 3:16 - What's In God's "Jelly Bean Jar?"

John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I love jelly beans. To me, they are the perfect candy — hard shell “self-wrapping” with a gooey center. They can be eaten quickly by chewing, or savored for a while as they dissolve to their flavorful jelly centers.

When I buy jelly beans, they are usually packaged in bags containing several flavors. My purchase gives me everything in the bag—I get all of them—not just the flavors I like.

As a child, I suffered from Asthma and the medicine I had to take was flavored like “black licorice.” After a few years of having to take the medicine, I came to have a great dislike for licorice, or anything that tasted like it. Since most black jelly beans share that same anise flavor of licorice, I don’t like them either. I either toss them, or give them away to someone who does like them.

Now, I paid for the whole bag—and I bought it with the idea that all of the jelly beans would be mine—but that means I paid for those that don’t please my palate. Once I owned the bag, it is my decision as to what happens to the beans—whether they go into my Jelly Bean jar, or the waste can.

Will you think I am wasteful? — Some of my friends think so.

Can you disagree and think I should keep all of the beans in the bag? - I know a few who do.

But—no matter what you might think—It basically comes down to one thing . . . Do they please me?

Any bean that goes into my Jelly Bean Jar has to be a bean I would like to enjoy. Why should it be otherwise?

Have you ever thought about how this concept works with God?

We are told the He loved us so much that He gave His one and only Son for us. That is THE ultimate price! There is no question that God wanted us to be in His “Jelly Bean Jar” - the church.

However . . . Now that God has paid for us, not all of us are pleasing to Him. John 3:18 tells us that our belief is important:  If we believe in His Son, then we are pleasing to God. If we do not, we are already condemned.

So what does this mean? Even though God paid for us, and wants each of us to be a part of those being saved, it still comes down to whether our faith is pleasing to Him. How our faith manifests itself in our lives is the key . . .  Is it a latent faith, or an active faith?

James 2:19: You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Simply having a knowledge of Christ is not the “faith” that makes us acceptable to God.

James 2:24: You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

James 2:26: As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Faith, or belief in Christ, must be an active faith to be pleasing to God.

Mark 16:16: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

James 1:22: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

 

John 2:16 - Business Among Brothers

John 2:16:
To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”

There is a concept in the business world called “networking.” It is a great way to increase your market coverage, increase sales, and — ultimately — increase your profits. It works well because it is a way of making friends, and converting them into customers — and vice versa.

Rotary, Shiners, Kiwanis, Optimist, Sertoma and other organizations have a reputation of making the world better through their humanitarian efforts. But, if you polled their members, you would find a strong motivation for joining was the potential for networking. If you are a member of such an organization, or have been involved with them, it is not uncommon to see business deals conducted in social situations. — How many napkins have been used as note pads for large projects?

Getting ahead in the business world is an art form. Any method that gets someone’s attention for your sales pitch, or introduces you to a group of potential customers is a valuable asset. Membership in an organization that has a captive audience for you is worth joining at almost any cost.

As an old commercial used to say . . . “Membership has it’s privileges.”

Networking like this is an old tradition among some organizations. Sometimes it is a good practice, and other times — not so good.

What about when it comes to the Lord’s Body — the church?

There is a fine line here, and it has to do with your motivation. 

Only you — and the Lord — know what motives drive your actions.

In the setting of John 2:16, it could be said that those selling doves and other “worship” items were a great help to those who have come to the temple unprepared, or from great distances. But, apparently these “helpers” had the wrong motivation behind their actions — the kind of motivation that caused the Lord to make a whip and drive them away.

The nature of our relationships with others in the church will cause us to interact on a business level from time to time — and who better to trust than a brother or sister in Christ?

But — are you intent on capitalizing on those relationships? — Counting on them being your customers? — Influencing those relationshipsfor your own gain?

If you have positive answers to those questions, you might look at your motives a little closer.

Here is a test to see your true motivation: 

How do you feel when you find a brother or sister in Christ has gone to someone else and bought goods or paid for services that you also offer?  Are truly disappointed because you lost an opportunity to serve them — or upset because you lost a sale from some one that “should have bought from you?”

If you are a Christian in business, ask yourself this question . . .

Do you truly see fellow Christians as “brothers and sisters,” or as “business opportunities?”

Romans 12:10:  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.