1 John 3.7 Little children, let no one deceive you.
Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. (ESV)
It seems to me it's all in the heart – in some manner or another. What
we believe is who we are and how we behave is based upon that belief. John’s first
epistle is a helpful contrast of either making it… or faking it. And it’s not
just behavior that matters because belief is what guides behavior. We’ll do
what we believe we can do… Right or wrong.
The practice of righteousness has a willful component to
it: we volitionally do what
we think is right. The purpose of the
Bible is to help us to know what is
right. And nothing we do is in a bubble – everything we do, think, and say is
tied to something else. John is merely trying to help us understand that if we
do what is right (always, always, always) according to God’s measure of right,
then we’re on the right track. It isn’t rocket science; it’s as easy as being
kind to someone.
The practice of righteousness has to have a knowledge of righteousness: we have to
know what is right and wrong (again, according to what God considers
righteous). So we have believe, we have to choose, and we have to know.
Then we have to practice. We have to stay in tune with
God and learn from Him. We have to practice: just try to be good. We have to
view others in the light God has shown on us; and then we have to try, try,
try, to walk in that light. But we’ll get nowhere without God. That’s why John
also said: No one who abides in Him keeps
on sinning… (V. 6) Living in God has
to be part of our belief about God.
John also said: No
one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and
he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (V. 9) If God’s
seed – His nature; His presence – abides in us, there is a powerful effect upon
us…unless a) we stifle that presence; or b) we simply do not believe. Or, I
suppose c) we just don’t know. But the presence of God, if it is truly there, has to do something in us, to us, and
for us. His presence ought to be evident in who we are, how we live, and in
what we say, do, and think.
And so, practice, practice, practice. Practice makes
perfect may not apply to my hand-writing, but it should have an effect upon my
life as a Child of God; it should have an effect upon my relationships; and it
should have an effect upon my conduct and conversation.
Lord, it is not my
effort that amounts to anything, but Your presence (and how I respond to it) that
makes all the difference. Today, may I respond well to Who You are and where
You are: King of Heaven, and King in my heart. May my heart be the place where
Your Spirit moves and Your presence proves that I am Yours, and do what You
say. Help me Lord! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment