Should I or Shouldn't I?

 

 

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.  But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.  And in him is no sin.  No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen  him or known him."  I John 3:1-6

 

Today's verse is  one of those that is quite plain and to the point.  So much so, that it is almost offensive...to the flesh!  Our carnal nature does not like to be told what to do,  but that is precisely what it needs!  A successful Christian grabs their flesh "by the ear" and shows it who is boss- an often painful process.

Growing up I knew two "men of God" one was cool- even said a bad word  or two, the  other one was a fuddy-duddy  who lived a very disciplined lifestyle.  The first guy made it look like you could have Christ, but not have to be weird or different.  You could have your cake and eat it too!  The second guy made it look like you had to sacrifice a bunch to follow Christ.  Now understand that these were the perceptions of  a very young little girl, and they were likely skewed.  And of course,  there was shadows of things that I could not understand.   But the bottom line is that I wanted what half of the church of America wants today- to have Jesus in the one hand and the world in the other.  It simply does not work that way!

As my walk matured in the Lord, I began to look  back at the two role model men aforementioned.  I began to wonder why the first guy would choose to have the spiritual liability of  leading  young people astray and I understood more the second man.  But the truth is, neither of them had it just right, just as I do not have it quite right today!  We all have areas where we excel and areas  where we struggle.  Christianity is not meant to be a list of rules and regulations, nor is it meant to be a highly individualized and personalized gospel  where there is no set right or wrong.  Walking with God is a relationship.  It is a love affair that inspires us to want to live righteously and avoid sin.

I have found that when I am spending the appropriate amount of time in the Bible and in prayer, it is much harder to sin than when I am just going through the motions.  The Holy Spirit is called holy for a good reason.  One of his functions in our life is to make us holy.  If he- and Jesus- are in the house (our hearts) then there is a change in how we live.  We simply cannot flirt with the world and walk with God.

You may be asking, what is the cut-off point?  How much of God do I need to be saved, and how much can I fit in without forfeiting salvation?   If this is your heart, you are missing the point entirely!  No one know how far his grace extends.  But why choose to presume on the precious grace that we are offered?   When we choose to follow Jesus, it means we begin to walk like him, talk like him, act like him, and do the things he did.  Well, what if we don't?  Refer back to today's verse.  "No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."

Are you longing  for more freedom or more fun than you can have hanging out with church people?  Beware!  You are in danger.   Walking with Jesus is the most fun, fulfilling, happy and blessed existence you could ever hope for.  His yoke is easy and his burden is light.  It is our distinct joy to follow him in obedience.  When Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow him, it was not meant as a beautiful word-picture.  No, the cross was a cruel place of pain, suffering and death.  He was saying, die to sin, die to flesh, die to the world.  And then you will truly live!  For time without end.  Amen.

Dear Lord, help me in the area of ____ where I struggle with sin and obedience to your Word.   Help me to die to the flesh, that I may live for you.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

How do You Relate?

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. ” I John 2:1-6

One of the great mysteries in the Word of God to me is our position in Christ.  When we come to salvation, Jesus comes to live in our hearts.  As a Christian we become a part of the body of Christ.  (All Christians make up that body, with Christ as the head.)  When we receive Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of us.  When we ask Jesus us to, he baptizes us in the Holy Spirit.  So to recap, we are in Jesus and he is in us.  We are in the Spirit and he is in us.

So having said all of that, today’s verse talks about how we can know we are in him.  If we do what Jesus did, we are living in him.  When one of our sons was little, I got so tickled watching him.  My husband was outside talking to another man.  Our little guy was standing right by him.  If Daddy leaned one elbow on the truck, he leaned one elbow on the truck.  When my husband gestured with his hand, my son gestured with his pudgy little hand.  He was a mini replica of Daddy.  If we are following Jesus, we will look like it. 

Another analogy of this verse can be seen in our relationships with our friends.  I have noticed that my relationships with my friends are very individual.  We have inside jokes and terms that we use with each other that would not make sense to someone else.  Why?  Because we pick up things from each other.  They change me and I change them.  We become like those that we are around most.  You cannot hang out in the world, but act like Jesus.  You have to hang out with him.  Listen to him, talk with him and have shared experiences with him before he begins to shape your life.  If no one knows you are a Christian, you need to invest in more time spent with Jesus.

The final question is how did Jesus walk? He walked to where hurting people were, and he befriended them.  He saw people’s need and was moved to compassion.  He taught them, provided for them, delivered them, healed them and established relationships with them.  If we are to be like Jesus in this world we have to care about those who are in need.  We have to be the hands of compassion outstretched.  A Christian who is not giving of themselves, their time, their resources, is honestly no Christian at all. Because to be Christ-like means to be like Christ.  To feel like him; to act like him; and to love like him!

Lord, show me where I am failing in my life to emulate you.  Thank you for coming to live in me and to allow me to be in the Family of God.  Help me to resemble the Father. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri