SIGNS OF LIFE!

 

Thursday, January 11, 2024

 

SIGNS OF LIFE!

 

1 John 2:3

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

 

1 John 3:14

14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

 

1 John 5:12-13

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

 

          Notice that all three of these verses are from First John! John was all about confidently “knowing!” There are far too many unbelieving believers who are nervously searching the sky and their heart for signs of life. John offers two ways to really know. One is marked by “if” and the other by “because.”

 

IF – we keep his commandments! The absence of rebellion is a good indicator of true conversion. The war between your heart and the heart of God is ended with God as the Victor. A declaration of peace has been signed and we have yielded our sword. No longer do we demand our own ways but freely relent to his wishes. Along the way we learn that His ways are far superior to our own.

 

          BECAUSE – we love the brethren!  The love of which John speaks is not the natural love of friends nor romantic love. John says that another sign of life is a deep and unexplained love for other people of faith. We may meet a total stranger who speaks of his faith in Christ, and immediately  sense a comradeship that defies natural explanation. We love the brethren wherever we find them. We lean toward Christ and those who share our love for the Savior.

 

Ps 84:9-10

9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

 

Dear Lord, today I desire to do Thy will and to obey Thy commandments. Oh, how I love others who love Thee! Such love baffles me, but I can’t deny it. AMEN