Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
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.
(1 John 2:3-6 (NIV))
How many of us, after reading this passage, stopped in our tracks because of the implications that these words have on our lives?
Do you profess a faith in Jesus?
Now, the difficult questions.
Do you always do what He commands? Do you always profess the truth about Jesus to others? Do you always obey His word? Is God’s love made complete in you?
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))
We are still sinners. The only difference is that we have been granted grace through the atoning blood of Jesus. We will stumble, but we are forgiven. We will fall short, but we have been offered grace. It is only human nature to be less than perfect. It is when we seek to not be perfect that grace is not accepted, and we choose to walk in a different direction.
Think about your life since you learned to walk. Have you spent every step in perfection, or have you tripped and fallen. Did you desire to lay where you landed and never walk again, or did you pick yourself up and strive to put one foot in front of the other once again? Now, do you think that you will ever trip and fall again as you traverse this world? I honestly doubt that any of us can step perfectly all the days of our lives.
Think about that with respect to your spiritual walk with Jesus. Think about the woman caught in adultery. Think about Zacheus. Think about Simon Peter and his denial of Jesus three times. Did Jesus deny grace and salvation to these people, or did He realize that humanity is frail and that we will falter along our paths?
Our walk of faith is not an easy one. It will be filled with distractions, obstacles and false starts. However, it is a matter of our heart that is what Jesus looks at. If we desire to do His will and to walk in His light, then when we do fail, we will desire to pick ourselves up and take the steps necessary to get us back on His path. We will earnestly desire to walk with Jesus.
How is your walk? Are you striving to maintain your spiritual course?
Copyright 1998 – 2010 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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