Tuesday 4 December, 2018

5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

I am struck by the final statement in this short set of verses: “who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” I notice the connection here between overcoming the world, and “only the one who believes.” That belief in Jesus is the key to overcoming the resistance that we face to following Jesus in the world, however it comes at us. I also notice in this passage how belief in Jesus is fundamentally connected to obeying God’s commands, and is a key evidence of us being born of God. So in short, our belief in Jesus is evidenced by obedience to God’s commandments which is evidence of us being born of God – all of which is the means by which we overcome the resistance in the world.

This calls me to ask the question. How am I going obeying God’s commandments? How am I going being obedient to God? What of what I am doing in my life, planning in my life, and prioritizing in my life, is clearly understood by me as obedience to God? If I truly do believe in Jesus, then obedience is the natural evidence. So obedience should be informing my doing, planning, and prioritizing in this life.

Lord, help me make sure that my daily activities, my plans, and my priorities in life are not without clear connection to obedience to you. For this is how faith in you is in evidence in my life, and it’s how I overcome all the resistances to you and your purposes that come against me. Amen.

Written by Ps. Rob Waugh