The Living Water: Lesson Thirty-Five

"The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

The God of glory thunders;

The LORD is over many waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful;

The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

Psalm 29:3-4

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Good day! Let's begin with prayer....

"Holy Father, I want to thank You for this day and for Your glory. You alone are the God Most High. You alone gave us the gift of the Living Water and washed me pure.

I seek forgiveness of my sins because I know I have put myself ahead of You lately. I pray that You will forgive me of my selfishness and cleanse me with Your word this day. I pray that You will give me wisdom liberally.

I also pray for each lady reading this study today. I pray that You will go to her and speak to her new things. I pray that You will encourage her and give her a heart that is willing to obey Your words.

In Jesus' name............amen."

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John 4: 41

"And many more believed because of His own word."

The word of God is powerful. It cuts deeply and changes the hearts of men. Here in this verse we see that now the people of Sychar, having seen Jesus and having heard His words, believed because of Him.

The Samaritan woman's witness was effective in getting the people to Jesus. They believed her and came to see "a man" who could be the Christ. As Jesus spoke to them for two days, we are told that many believed.

Please read:

Luke 4:31-32

From the beginning, Jesus was able to persuage men with just His words. For His word had authority.

John 6:63

His very words are LIFE to us. As we have read before, Peter understood this:

John 6:68

The words of Jesus are eternal life.

John 17:17

They are TRUTH.

Col 3:16

And they should dwell in us deeply.

Heb 1:1-4

And that is how God spoke to His people and to us know: Through Jesus.

Rom 10: 16-17

It is God who opens ears to hear the words of Christ. Just as He opened the ears of the Samaritan people around Jesus, He opened our ears as well and now we can read the Word and hear it and be changed.

Jesus' words changed the Samaritan woman. They gave her new life....a new purpose. She left her waterpot: her old ways, her old purpose in life...and began a new journey. The Lord promised her He would give her that Living Water that would finally quench her thirst forever.

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How did God's voice (His word) change others in scripture?

Please read:

Gen 1:3

Gen 3:9-10

Gen 3:13

Gen 4:6-7

Gen 6:7-13

Gen 7:1

Gen 9:8

God's words convicted men of sin, spoke to them of His covenant, encouraged man to worship Him. God's words are important. We were created in His image, so it makes sense that our words are important as well.

Gen 11:1-9

The word "Babel" means confusion. It is also translated as Babylon. Man took language for granted, so how did God punish His people? By taking away their one language and confusing them. Words are very important to the Lord. They should be important to us.

Gal 3:8

God rewarded Abraham for believing God's words.

Deut 17:18

His words should instill fear on His people.

Deut 18:17

God's words were put into Jesus' mouth.

Deut 18:20-22 False prophets shall be judged for the words they say in God's name.

I think it is safe to say that God's words are LIFE and TRUTH to us. We would be wise to take them seriously. We would be wise to read them daily and have fear of God because of His words. He keeps His promises.....He keeps His word.

Praise God today for His word. Praise Him that He did not leave us here alone without any knowledge of Him. He is merciful and His voice is indeed full of majesty.

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Life Application

"...because of His own word."

Some believed because of the Samaritan woman, and now we read that many more believed because of Jesus' own word.

Please read:

Jer 23:9-10

Here we read how the holy words of God given to the prophet were not heeded and the whole of creation suffered. Do we heed those words today? Does creation still suffer because of our sin of disobedience?

Jesus' own word is what saves us. He died to save us from His wrath and that is why He is exalted by His death. His life and death were perfect. And now He is exalted. Because of His perfect words, we have life. We have been saved from that curse.

2 Tim 3:16

All scripture...every word....is profitable and it equips us for every good work of the Lord. That is why we must stay near the Lord. Like the people of Sychar, we must "urge" Him to stay with us so we can hear His words....His own word and be healed, cleansed, saved, transformed.

Stay in the Word! I know life gets hectic and time gets away from us. Before you know it, the day is half over. Find time to be alone with the Lord each day. Use these studies to be in the Word. I have given you much scripture to read in this study. Stay in the near God's Word, learn it, memorize it and tell others what you have learned.

That way we can abide in Jesus and He will abide in us.

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Until next time......

"It troubles alot of people that Christ died to exalt Christ. Boiled down to its essence, 2 Corinthians 5:15 says Christ died for us that we might live for him. In other words, he died for us so that we make much of him. Bluntly, Christ died for Christ. Now that is true. It's not a word trick. The very essence of sin is that we have failed to glorify God- which included failing to glorify his Son (Romans 3:23). But Christ died to bear that sin and to free us from it. So he died to bear the dishonor that we had heaped on him by our sin. He died to turn this around. Christ died for the glory of Christ."

-John Piper (The Passion of the Christ, 2004, p. 82)

Blessings,

Ruth

Running the Good Race

Sunday-

I had a "date" night with my husband on Friday: we ran 6 miles together along the canal bank. It was so cool out and the sunset was fantastic!

We set out to do 5 miles, but realized that, after an hour, we had run 6. We felt good, but I was hurting the next day!

Saturday was a rest day and Sunday was pilates.

I plan on running 5 miles tomorrow....we'll see!

The Living Water: Lesson Thirty-Four

"And in that day it shall be

That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem

Half of them toward the eastern sea

And half of them toward the western sea;

In both summer and winter it shall occur.

And the LORD shall be King over all the earth.

In that day it shall be-

'The LORD is one,'

And His name one."

Zechariah 14: 8-9

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Hello...let's pray...

"Father, God, in heaven. I thank You for these verse in Zechariah in which You describe to us what the day of the Lord will be like. Your presence will bring streams of water. Those waters will bring healing. You alone are God.

I pray that You will forgive me of my sins this day. I know that I have often put myself ahead of my family and ahead of You. I know this is sin. I pray that You will wash me clean with Your word and fill me with Your Spirit.

I pray for each lady reading this study today. I pray that she will earnestly seek Your face today in prayer and in Your word. I pray that she will turn to You for guidance and patiently wait for You. I pray for peace in her home and obedience in her heart.

In Jesus' name............amen."

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As we come to the end of our study, we will look at the incredible results of the woman's testimony on the people of this Samaritan city.

John 4: 40

"So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days."

The reaction of the people to the Lord's presence is quite a contrast to the Jewish leaders' reaction to Jesus at that time. The people of Sychar were so eager to hear Jesus talk and to be with Him that they urged Him to stay with them.

Just imagine the reaction of Jesus as He stood among the people of this Gentile city where Jacob's well was planted. Here He is, the Christ Himself, there in the midst of this old city of the scriptures.

But we know that not all people will receive Jesus:

Please read:

Luke 9:51-56

Here Jesus sends messengers to Samaritan villagers in order to prepare them for Jesus' presence but they did not receive Him. So Jesus went to another village because He acknowledged that not everyone will be saved.

Luke 19:1-9

Zacchaeus, the tax collector, received Jesus into his house and was saved.

As we read in the New Testament about the many times Jesus was rejected or received, we can be sure that not all those who will come in contact with Jesus in us or with His word will receive Him or be saved. But those who hear His words....they shall be saved:

John 5:24

Hearing the words of the woman brought the people to Jesus. But soon they would hear the words of Jesus Himself. Jesus opens the ears of His own sheep so they hear His voice.

So, that is why it is so wonderful and encouraging to us to see what happened with the Samaritan woman. She, a sinner, was sought by the Christ. She was changed by the words of Jesus. She was given that Living Water when she was told how to worship the One True God who is spirit.

Then she was used by Jesus to bring others to Him.

That fact should encourage all of us to take our testimonies and be bold witnesses for Christ.

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Life Application

"...and He stayed there two days."

One thing about the Lord is that He keeps His promises. He had promised that He will never leave or forsake us in His word.

Please read:

Heb 13:5

Gen 28:15

Deut 31:6, 8

Josh 1:5

He has promised that if we keep His commandments, He will abide with us:

1 John 2:24-25

1 John 3:24

Jesus stayed with the Samaritan people for two days.....but He promises us that He will abide with us: that is more permanent. He will actually dwell with us forever.

The word "abide" means to dwell. It is as if I would say that I would come to your house and live there with you. Fellowship, on the other hand, is more temporary. Jesus had fellowship with the people of Samaria. He only stayed temporarily......but to dwell, or abide with someone is more permanent.

When Jesus says that He abides with us and we with Him, He means it on a more personal and permanent way. If we obey His commandments.....we have permanent dwelling with Him and He in us. How much more special is that than staying with us a mere two days??

That is what I used to tell the inmates at the prison. I knew they had been rejected and left by people all their lives. But for them to hear that God....the GOD who created them and loved them....actually promises to dwell with them forever, never to leave them or forsake them, well that was something they could truly grasp onto.

God says that He will never leave us (that's a temporary leaving where someone will be back soon) nor forsake us (that is a more permanent leaving as though someone will never return much like in death or abandonment).

All of us have been there. We have either had someone close to us leave us or even forsake us. But God says He will do neither. Soon those living waters will flow from Jerusalem and we will be there to see it with Him. And we will dwell with Him forever.

How wonderful is that?? God is wonderful. Praise Him today.

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Until next time.........

" Let us further consider that our following the example of Christ in the work of the ministry is the way to enjoy the sensible joyful presence of Christ with us. The disciples had the comfort of Christ's presence and conversation by following Him and going where He went. When we cease to follow Him, He will go from us, and we shall soon lose sight of Him."

-Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

(Altogether Lovely, 1997, p. 198)

Blessings,

Ruth

The Living Water: Lesson Thirty-Three

"And in that day you will say:

O, LORD You were angry with me,

Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.

Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid;

'For YAH, the Lord, is my strength and song;

He also has become my salvation.

Therefore with joy you will draw water

From the wells of salvation.'"

Isaiah 12:1-3

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Let's seek the Lord today in prayer......

"Father, You are our strength and our song. You alone are our salvation. Say to our souls everyday that You are my salvation. Let me draw water from the wells of salvation.

I come to You in prayer this day to seek forgiveness of my sins. Forgive me for not submitting to You. Forgive me for putting my needs above others'. Forgive me for having anxiety about the future when I know that everything is in Your hands.

I pray for each woman reading this study that she will know that You are her salvation. I pray that she will know that You are her strength and her song. Help her to know that she is not alone. Speak to her soul today.

In Jesus' name...........amen."

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John 4:39

"And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all that I ever did.'"

Here the scriptures say why the people came to Jesus....because of the woman's testimony.

We tend to forget the power of our testimony. Like Paul, we should use it to tell others about the love of Christ.

Please read:

Acts 17: 1-4

Acts 18:1-4

Acts 20:17-37

Acts 22:1-29

Paul used his conversion to spread the Gospel message. Sometimes he spoke about how Jesus took him from Saul of Tarsus and made him into Paul the Apostle of Christ.

Gal 1: 13-17

Phil 3:4-11

Like Paul, we can use our testimonies to help bring people to Jesus. Our testimonies were given to us by Jesus. Mine is about sexual sin and the consequences of it, Paul's was about persecuting Christians.

Whatever your testimony is, use it to the glory of God.

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Life Application

"...because of the word of the woman..."

Knowing how important it is for us to spread the Gospel message, we should always be ready to give the reason for our hope and faith.

Please read:

1 Pet 3:15-17

"Be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you..."

Whether we are asked by a friend or co-worker or someone as important as a King, we should always be ready to defend the Gospel:

Ps 119:46

And what is that hope? What is that message?

Titus 3:4-7

Rom 3:23

Rom 6:23

John 3:3

I have often felt called by God to use my testimony as a way to share the Gospel with young women who may have strayed from the Lord or who may not know the Lord. That is why I feel compelled to go on a mission trip to Slovakia next year and maybe Romania the following year to take the Gospel message to these young women.

It isn't easy to share our stories. Some of you have shared your stories with me and I know it is painful for you to go back and think about those times before the Lord saved you. Devote time to prayer and ask the Lord to remove the shame, guilt, and pain from your testimony so that you can share it with others. I also felt shame and guilt whenever I thought on my past, but I did pray and ask the Lord to remove that shame and guilt so that when I shared my testimony, I was able to focus on what the Lord had done for me and not what I had done in the flesh.

He has answered my prayer and I know He will answer yours. Reading Paul's words comforts me tremendously since his past was so shameful, yet the Lord brought Paul out of that bondage and used him in mighty ways.

He can use you too.

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Until next time.......

"God has given to each one of us a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3), and He expects us to use our faith to overcome our fear. Why is this important? Because fear is always a component of adversity. A degree of fear is part of what makes a situation an adversity instead of just another experience. Fear is part of the negative dimension of an adversity.....Faith tells us the opposite story. Faith says that God is in control and when He is in control, all things work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). Faith says that we will recover and that our final state will be better than anything we have experienced or been thus far. Faith says that whatever Satan steals from us, he must restore, and in virutally all cases, he must restore more than what he stole."

-Charles Stanley (Advancing Through Adversity, 1996, p. 68)

Blessings,

Ruth

Running the Good Race

Tuesday-

I ran 4 miles today at about 10:45am. It was 86 degrees out and breezy! But I had forgotten to eat breaksfast, so my legs were heavy. They felt like they weighed 100 lbs. each. It was not a good run.

Next time I will remember to eat!

The Living Water: Lesson Thirty-Two

"Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,

And declare it in the isles afar off, and say,

'He who scattered Israel will gather him,

And keep him as a shepherd does his flock,'

For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,

And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he,

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion,

Streaming to the goodness of the LORD-

For wheat and new wine and oil,

For the young of the flock and the herd;

Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden,

And they shall sorrow no more at all."

Jeremiah 31: 10-12

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Hello again, let's seek the Lord........

"Father, may You be blessed this day for all that You have done for Your people. We are unfaithful to You, but You are faithful. You have taken us like a shepherd and gathered us together to Your bosom where we are safe. I praise You and thank You for providing us with a well-watered garden where we will have no more sorrow at all.

I seek forgiveness of my sins because I know that I have sinned against You. I have turned to my own ways more times than not and have had anxieties when I should have trusted in You. I pray You will forgive me and cleanse me of my sins.

I pray for each woman reading this study. I pray that she will seek Your face this day and surrender her life to You daily. I pray for her children and her husband that they may see that she had been with You today. I pray for a peace in her home and the Holy Spirit to be welcome there.

in Jesus' name............amen."

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John 4:38

"I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

In our last lesson, we looked at how the Lord uses us to reap the harvest. He includes us in His works here on earth. We cannot convert anyone to Christianity, but God can and does. It is not of man who wills it, but of the Lord's mercy.

Here, Jesus is explaining to His disciples that they are about to enter into a field ripe for harvest in which they did not labor.....the woman at the well and Jesus labored together in this field. The words of Jesus sowed seeds and the woman took those words and sowed somemore. As a result, the disciples were witnessing how the woman took Christ's words and her testimony to bring others to Jesus.

In the Old Testament, the prophets were often sent ahead to prepare the people for the coming Messiah.

Please read:

Is 26

Is 28:16-19

Is 32:1-8

Prophets were sent to warn the people to heed the word of the LORD:

Jer 44:1-30

Here we have the word of the Lord coming through Jeremiah to the Israelites who were worshiping other gods and disobeying the Lord. The men of the city were being overtaken by their wives. It was feminism all over!

Jer 44:15-16

They bluntly told the Lord they would not listen to Him. So, of course, the Lord punished them.

In the New Testament, we have John the Baptist coming before Jesus to prepare the way for people to receive the Messiah:

John 3:1-36

Now we have Jesus in John 4 preparing Samaria to receive Him. He mercifully delivered the Samaritan woman from the "bitter waters of the curse" and released her from her bondage. Then He prepared her for her ministry by telling her how to worship God and who worships God. Finally, He reveals Himself to her and she is forever changed.

Now, the disciples were about to step into that field to harvest, but the Lord wanted them to know that they were not in this alone. They were going to partake of the joy and splendor of seeing souls come to Jesus, but others labored in this field: Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

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Life Application

"...others have labored...."

Rarely does any person come to a knowledge of Jesus by a single person's labor alone. Most conversions happen after hearing the Gospel message many times before they ever surrendered to Jesus as their Savior. Usually, there were many obstacles that were overcome and much prayer time invested in a person's conversion.

Let's look at a situation in the Gospel of Luke in which a man was brought to Jesus for healing:

Please read:

Luke 5:17-26

"Then, behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst of before Jesus."

The man was paralyzed, therefore he was dead weight. I don't know if any of you have ever lifted a person who was paralyzed or was dead weight, I haven't, but from talking to people who have, it is quite a task! My mother, a nurse, has had several hernias in her nursing career just from lifting patients alone. It isn't easy to lift someone, yet these men brought the man in his bed to the Lord.

Imagine how hard it was to do this task.

When they could not bring in the man because of all the people in the house, they went up on the roof with the man in his bed and found a way to lower him in to lay before Jesus.

Imagine....again....how hard this was to do.

As Christians, we know non-believers whom we pray for daily. Sometimes it seems like such a task to lift these people up in prayer day after day. But stop and think for a minute those who actually bring non-believers to Jesus for healing all the time. They overcome obstacles, like crowds or rooftops, to get these sinners to Jesus for healing because they understand what it means: deliverance from God's wrath.

We see sin as a "free will" issue in our day. But in Jesus' time, they saw any affliction at all as a punishment from God for their sins. They had a great fear of God. They had not heard from Him for generations....and now this Man had come and was doing things that they had read about in scriptures: healing and forgiving.

These men brought the paralyzed man to Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins:

Luke 5:20

"When He saw their faith, He said to him, 'Man, your sins are forgiven you.'"

When He saw their faith. Jesus didn't comment on the man's condition.....He saw the faith of his friends and what they went through to get their friend to Him because they knew....they just KNEW Jesus would forgive there friend.

Luke 5:25-

"Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God..."

Let us never forget that sometimes bringing others to Christ is WORK. It is inconvenient and laborous. But it is always rewarding no matter what happens.

I once took it upon myself to help a woman I had met in the prison after she was released. I helped collect donated clothing for her so she could find a job. I would pick her up and take her to church. I would help her run her errands. I would counsel her for hours. I helped her get a job at our church at the time. It was hard work to do all this and at many times inconvenient.

Yet I wasn't doing it for her at all. I was doing it for the Lord. That made it all worth it.

I labored. I did not receive any reward for that labor. Yet I know, I will receive my reward when I see Jesus.

Do the work of the Lord. Overcome obstacles to bring sinners to Jesus.

Remember, there were many people praying, and working, and overcoming obstacles for you to come to Jesus......

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Until next time....

"This righteousness of Christ imputed to men is like that tree of life (Revelation 22:2) which bore various manners of fruit, and that every month, and whose leaves were for the healing of the nations. This tree of life is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by His merit and Spirit, converts heathens into saints, and makes saints bring forth the saving fruits of righteousness."

-Obadiah Grew (1607-1689)

(The Lord Our Righteousness, 2005, p. 100)

Blessings,

Ruth

The Living Water: Lesson Thirty-one

"Stretch out Your hand from above;

Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,

From the hand of foreigners,

Whose mouth speaks empty worthless words,

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

I will sing a new song to You, O God;

on a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You..."

Psalm 144:7-9

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Let's begin with prayer....

"Father, O God, You have given us Your holy word and You teach us how to pray to You. I thank You this day for giving us Your word. Thank You for the passages of scripture that teaches us how to approach You, for You are holy above all and I am sinful and depraved without You.

I seek the forgiveness of sins this day, O Lord. I pray that You will search me for the hidden sins of my mind and my heart. Search me this day and purge me of these sins against You. Wash me. Renew me. And keep me from sinning against You.

I pray for each lady reading this study today. I pray that she will seek Your forgiveness of her sins. I also pray for her ministry inside her home that she will dedicate each day to serving You. I pray that she will elevate You above her wants and needs and above her family. I pray that You will go to her and encourage her this day.

In Jesus' name..........amen."

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John 4:37

"For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'"

Remember how we looked at the concept of one sowing and one reaping?

Please read:

1 Cor 3:5-8

Here Paul wants to make sure none of the Apostles are taking credit for any conversions. He wants us to know that it is always of God and not of man.

Rom 9:16

So many times I have come across people who ache for their loved ones who are not saved. One time, a friend was near tears because her son was still not a believer though he was in his 40's and attended church regularly. She felt it was her "duty" to make sure he was saved. She went on to tell me how often she told him the gospel message and yet he still did not believe.

Can you imagine if a person's salvation was up to us?? No one would ever be saved! Thank the Lord that one's salvation is of the Lord and not of us. I tried to explain to my friend that her son has heard the gospel message and that is all she can do. It is not of her, but of God. If her son truly is one of God's elect, then before he leaves this earth he will surrender to Christ. It is that simple.

So, I hope she felt some relief from the pressure of trying to "rescue" or save her son from hell. By putting the task on the Lord, it releases us from that pressure. Jesus did not command us to go and "save" people....only He can do that. We are commanded to go and preach the gospel. It is the gospel that turns hearts of stone into flesh.

Dr. Mark Dever explains:

"Therefore, our job in evangelism is to pray for conversions, and work for them by regularly and faithfully sharing the Gospel as well as we can. Work on your own understanding of the Gospel. Think carefully about ways you may be able to improve in sharing it...you can't make sure someone becomes a Christian, But you can make sure they've heard the Gospel" (Tabletalk Magazine, 2007, p. 10).

My friend regularly told her son the Gospel message. Now it was up to God to change this young man's heart.

John 10:22-30

"If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

Notice how they said, "if"? These were not believers. For they heard the words of Christ, but they did not "hear" His words because Jesus did not open their ears. He was not their Shepherd.

But the Samaritan woman heard the words of Jesus and she believed. Her eyes, ears, and her heart was opened by Jesus alone.

In our openeing verse, David wrote of how God had delivered him from his enemies. David knew about sowing and reaping:

1 Sam 16:11-13

David had the Spirit of the Lord upon him. He had seen how Saul had not known the Lord nor did the Lord's work.

2 Sam 7: 12-15

Yet David ended up sowing iniquity and reaping the pain of iniquity tenfold:

2 Sam 11:1-27

We can learn alot by studying David's life in contrast to Paul's:

Acts 9: 1-9

Paul, as Saul, was sowing seeds of hate and murder and reaped the consequences of those seeds. But Jesus used Paul as He used David.

He can use whomever He choses to use because it is not of us who wills but of God who has mercy.

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Life Application

"One sows another reaps....."

So many times we get caught up in our own selffishness and we forget that our sins affect others. If we sow the flesh, we reap corruption....but are we the only ones who suffer?

Rom 6:23

What we "earn" by sinning is death. It doesn't say the wages of our sins is our death. It clearly states that the wages of sin is DEATH. All death is a result of all sin.

We must remember this and take it into consideration daily. If we love Jesus, we will not disobey His commandments.

If we sow seeds of iniquity....another reaps that iniquity and it all equals DEATH. Remember that.

Rom 6:16

It is best to be a slave to righteousness than a slave to sin leading to death.

Rom 6: 12

Remember what Jesus did for the Samaritan woman. He freed her from the curse she was under:

Num 5:11-31

The Samaritan woman was not with her husband. She had 5 husbands. She was cursed according to Jewish law for being unfaithful.

Num 5:17-18

Bitter water that brings a curse....

Num 5:20-22

Jesus knew this law as He spoke to this woman. Yet He was there to free her from the curse of bitter water and to remove that curse. He would give her the promise of Living Water that will quench her thirst forever and cleanse her.

He did this for us as well. Take the time today to praise Him for removing that bitter water that brings a curse upon you for your sins.

Only Jesus can do this......and only He will.

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Until next time.....

"The measure of God's love for us is shown by two things. One is the degree of his sacrifice in saving us from the penalty of our sin. The other is the degree of unworthiness that we had when he saved us. We can hear the measure of his sacrifice in the words, 'He gave his only son' (John 3:16).....there is only one explanation for God's sacrifice for us. It is not us. It is 'the riches of his grace' (Ephesians 1:7). It is all free. It is not a response to our worth. It is the overflow of his infinite worth. In fact, that is what divine love is in the end: a passion to enthrall undeserving sinners, at great cost, with what will make us supremely happy forever, namely, infinite beauty."

-John Piper

(The Passion of Jesus Christ, 2004, pp. 28-29)

Blessings,

Ruth