Week Forty-Six, 2025

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17).

It is one of the most quoted and memorized verses in the Bible: 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.” It gives a message for all to hear.

But the next verse is not so often read or memorized. It is like a postscript to the preceding verse, telling us that Jesus came not to condemn, but to save. God’s goal in sending His Son is salvation, not condemnation. John 3:17 means that God’s primary purpose for sending His Son, Jesus, into the world was not to pass judgment and condemn humanity, but to provide a way for the entire world to be saved through Him. This verse explains that salvation is the ultimate goal of Jesus’ mission, offering rescue, healing, and wholeness to all who believe.

God might justly have sent Him for this: to condemn the world. Man deserved condemnation, and it would have been right to have pronounced it; but God was willing that there should be an offer of pardon, and the sentence of condemnation was delayed. But, although Jesus did not come then to condemn mankind, the time is coming when He will return to judge the living and the dead.

Sent by God on a mission to save, Jesus came not to judge, condemn, or pass sentence, but rather to redeem. Jesus came to save—to deliver us from that spiritual death which is common to all men because of Adam’s sin. He sought to make us whole and to preserve us from danger, loss, or destruction. God’s own arm worked this salvation for us.

Remember that God sent Jesus to save you, not condemn you. Verse 17 clarifies that mission, but the requirements of Verse 16 are yours. Have you confessed your sins and believed in Him, that you might have everlasting life?

Sometimes True Stories

My name’s Frank. I’m 64, a retired electrician.

Forty-two years I spent running wires through houses, fixing breakers, making sure people had light in their kitchens and heat in their winters. Never once did anyone ask me where I went to college. Mostly, they just wanted to know if I could get the power back on before their ice cream melted.

Last May, I was at my granddaughter Emily’s school career day. You know the drill—doctors, lawyers, a software guy in a slick suit talking about “scaling startups.” I was the only one there with a tool belt and work boots.

When it was my turn, I told the kids, “I don’t have a degree. I’ve never sat in a lecture hall. But I’ve wired schools, hospitals, and your principal’s house. And when the hospital generator failed during a snowstorm in ’98, I was the one in the basement with a flashlight, keeping the lights on for newborn babies upstairs.”

The kids leaned forward. They had questions—real ones. “How do you fix stuff in the dark?” “Do you make a lot of money?” “Do you ever get zapped?” (Yes, once, and it’ll curl your hair.)

When the bell rang, one boy hung back. Small kid, freckles, hoodie too big for him. He mumbled, “My uncle’s a plumber. People laugh at him ’cause he didn’t finish high school. But… he’s the only one in the family who can fix anything.”

I looked that boy in the eye and said, “Kid, your uncle’s a hero. When your toilet overflows at midnight, Harvard ain’t sending anyone. A plumber is.”

Here’s the thing nobody told me when I was young—the world doesn’t run without tradespeople. You can have all the engineers you want, but if nobody builds the house, wires the power, or lays the pipes, those blueprints just sit in a drawer.

We’ve made it sound like trades are what you do if you can’t go to college, instead of a path you choose because you like working with your hands, solving problems, and seeing your work stand solid for decades.

Four years after high school, some kids walk away with diplomas. Others walk away with zero debt, a union card, and a skill they can take anywhere in the world. And guess what? When your furnace dies in January, it’s not the diploma that saves you.

A few weeks ago, that same freckled kid’s mom stopped me at the grocery store. She said, “You probably don’t remember, but you told my son trades are important. He’s shadowing his uncle this summer. First time I’ve seen him excited about anything in years.”

That’s the part we forget—for some kids, knowing their path is respected changes everything. It’s not about “just” fixing wires or pipes. It’s about pride. Purpose. The kind that sticks with you long after the job’s done.

So next time you meet a teenager, don’t just ask, “Where are you going to college?” Ask, “What’s your plan?” And if they say, “I’m learning to weld,” or “I’m starting an apprenticeship,” smile big and say, “That’s fantastic. We’re going to need you.”

Because we will. More than ever. And when the lights go out, you’ll be glad they showed up.

Quotes You Can Use

Listening carefully to a person’s speech will be a good start in understanding their heart and character. —Tony Ferguson

Acceptance of God’s will is the only path to true peace. Without that acceptance, there is only turmoil and struggle within. —Dan Shock

America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer, and we will never apologize for our faith. —Donald Trump

To please God even a little is infinitely more important than to have the praise of mankind. —Charles Spurgeon

Some people get an education without going to college. The rest get it after they get out. —Mark Twain

Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution. —Albert Einstein

God said, “Be still, and know,” not “freak out and question everything.”

Life is full of questions. Idiots are full of answers. —Socrates

Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I make hypocritical decisions. Yes, I fall. I stumble. I struggle. I am a mess, and God can turn a mess into a masterpiece.

Sacrifice—the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something with a higher claim. Are we willing to be a living sacrifice for Christ… no matter the cost? —Marty Stubblefield

We must protect Gospel unity and Gospel advancement despite disagreements and conflicts.

Ministry does not stop when you share the Gospel. Follow up with others. Don’t let conflict or disagreements hinder Gospel advancement. Be willing to forsake your freedoms in order to win others to Jesus. Don’t do ministry alone. Who are you investing in? —Edgar Aponte

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what is in us. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

He told us to not only be as harmless as doves, but also as wise as serpents. Christ wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head. —C.S. Lewis

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