Trustworthilly

09.04.12

1 John 3.21-22 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. ESV

If nothing else is considered, 1 John is full – chock-full – of promise for those who love God and know God. I marvel at the power of sin that draws us away from our Creator and it’s all based, I think, on fear of the unknown. We fear God that He’s going to make us do what we don’t want to do, or take from us what we don’t want to give up. Sadly, we don’t know what it is that God is going to make us do or take from us, but we fear it dreadfully anyway.

John’s letter is all about relationship with God and what it’s supposed to be like. He explains what should be in the relationship and what shouldn’t be – it’s no different than a healthy relationship between two friends: it’s based on mutual love, respect, kindness, trust, and other-ness. Relationships are all about what the other person does to fill in the holes in my life; and brother, I am holey, Swiss-cheese don’t hold a candle to me…

In the verses above I notice trustworthiness: If my heart doesn’t condemn me, then I have confidence before God. If I see myself – even in some small measure – the way God sees me, then I have confidence of my place in our relationship. And confidence helps this old boy in the arena of acceptance. And acceptance is huge in relationships. So, when I am confident, and accepted, I am free to ask God for the things I need because God sees that I will be trustworthy with them. The things I need are all about Him and He knows I will use them wisely.

But I need Him to fill in the holes in my life so that I can be confident and accepted in Him. Or I need Him to do His God-thing in me so that I may be of use to Him in whatever He is accomplishing in my little space of the world. So, my rightly relating to God is partly being trusted by Him to use what He gives me for His glory and not my own.

I blog for at least two reasons: one, I like to think (and talk and write) about God. God is Someone worth knowing. The promise of, and hope in God I have, is far beyond what I can think or imagine. The adventure that awaits me today because of Him, is alluring beyond my comprehension. And every day the adventure grows more and more alluring. Another reason is: I seem to think you seem to want to think and talk about God as well. You seem to think: in Him is adventure worth taking, and relationship worth making. Some of you I know fairly well and others no so well, but we all seem to have this God-thing in common.

My hope is what I write is of help to you in your walk with God, and that somehow in whatever way, God uses my perspective to fill in holes in your life. I also hope that in some way the words written here will help some to see the magnificence of our God and His indescribable love for us. And, that God has so much to give puny little creatures like us – that He values us so much – that He alone made a way for us to be freed from ourselves and to come to know Him fully, confidently, and trustworthilly for all eternity.