1 John 3: 2, 16-24 (NASB) -
2: “Beloved, now we
are children of God and it has not yet appeared what we will be. We
know that when he appears, we will be like him, because we will see him just as
he is.”
John 17:13-21 (NASB) -
13: "But I now come to you; and these things I speak in the world so that
they may have My joy made full in
themselves.” Joy as the bridegroom when he receives his bride.
14: I” have given them
your word” (myself).
16: “They are not of the
world as I am not of the world.”
17: “Purify and consecrate
them, set them apart, in your truth; your Word, Jesus Christ, is truth.”
Dear ones, right now you can know we are children of God (disciples of God) because we have received Him; we have heard Him
and follow Him doing acts of righteousness (1 John 3:10). God’s spirit within us testifies with our spirit
that we are children of God. (Romans 8:16). It has not yet appeared what we will be, but we
wait eagerly (Rom 8:23) and
with expectation and anticipation. We know when Christ appears we will be like
Him, we will resemble Him. (We will be conformed to His image. Rom. 8:29) We know we will be like Him because God and Jesus promised it. Our future is certain. We do not
have to wonder what we will “be,” but must be at the task of not only telling
others, but in deed and truth, act upon it (1 John3:18 NASB). This is
how we can be assured of our belief, we resemble Jesus, we will do acts of
righteousness not speak only of our belief.
God's love abides/lives
in us if we are truly believers. We cannot let another live in need if we own
the resources or are able to fill their need. We must surrender our life for
another as Jesus laid aside His
life for us. Putting aside our life is not just telling them about Jesus, but
doing something to help meet their need. Many people come to Jesus because
someone has taken the time to listen to them and help fill their need be it
physical, emotional, or spiritual. Christ came to be
the Answer to all our needs. As children of God, those who heard the Word and accepted
Him into our lives, we are set aside and purified for His service. We know we
are the children of God by our righteous acts, the
fruits of the Spirit which show in us. Without Jesus' Spirit speaking to our
spirit, we would not be able to be used by God and to do righteous deeds. We would
not be able to show God's love for everyone. John says,
We know by this that we
are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us, for God is greater
than our hearts and knows all things.
Dear ones, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and
whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep what his commandments
and do things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that we
believe in the name
of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another,
just as He commanded us (1 John 3: 19-23 NASB).
The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain about
God, but about our future. John tells us we do not
need to be uncertain of our future. Who we are and what we will be in this life
we do not know, but we know who we will resemble. We will resemble Christ when He
returns. If we are not just hearers of the Word, but doers, we resemble Christ.
When we act upon God's
consecration/dedication of our lives now on this earth, we know we are
followers of Christ. Jesus prayed for His
disciples; He prayed for us before He left and arose to
heaven. He prayed our joy would be complete; the joy He has will be in our
lives. His joy is full as the bridegroom who receives His bride. Our joy is
tied to His and we can be filled with His joy when we accept Him as our Lord
and when we live the life He commands us, to love one another
not just in word, but in deed and truth. It really is up to us. Jesus already did
everything we need to live an abundant life, with joy and certainty as to our
future. When we confess Jesus as our lord and Savior, our joy is full and our future is secure. We will
be like Jesus Christ; we will resemble Him.
Oh, what great news we can tell others.
Based on this good news, our love overflows
into deeds of love and righteousness. These are deeds of truth, sharing God's love to all people so their physical needs are
met and the future is certain and held in Christ. What greater love can we live than spending our
lives sharing Christ's love, His deeds, word, and truth? What is holding you
back from acting upon God's love in accepting the Savior and being to the world
around you the heart, hands, and mouth of Christ? Act upon Christ's love,
accept Him, tell others, and show them the love of Christ in you. Show them
acts of righteousness that come through God's love in your heart. We will
resemble Christ and be like Him if we accept His gift of grace and act upon
them with acts of righteousness.
1 John 3:24 “The one who
keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He
abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has
given us” (NASB)
