As I read through 1 John this morning, I couldn't help but recognize how frequently Jesus is used as an example...His love, His sacrifice, His life on this earth, His eternal reign. We all know that Christ is our ultimate example and we are to strive to follow His pattern of life...not to the best of our abilities, because that would mean nothing. We are to surrender constantly to the power and authority of our Heavenly Father...this we know. Every day of our lives, our sinful nature proves to us that we are powerless on our own...God is the true Source of our power. Since we cannot do anything of value anyway, why don't we allow the Lord to fill our hearts with dreams and goals so gigantic that only He can accomplish them. Never endeavor upon something that you are able to do...there is no room for growth in that. Walk through the doors that God opens for you...no matter if the door is 400 feet tall and 12,000 pounds or if it is 6 inches tall...no challenge is too big for our God.
Ok, well that is not at all what I set out to write. I read a book recently called "In His Steps." It was essentially about a minister challenging his congregation to commit to live the next year asking the question "What would Jesus do?" before anything and everything they did. That question may have become somewhat cliche because of the materialization of the phrase, but it is one of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves.
"Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." --1 John 2:6.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all lived that way? We would be so sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. More people would come to know who Jesus really is. More needs would be fulfilled. There would be more joy and love than we have ever experienced. True service that Jesus demonstrated to us is the most impactful thing we can do. But we must die to ourselves and take up our crosses every single day. That can only be done through the strength of our Lord...and the joy of the Lord is our strength.
"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything." --1 John 3:18-20.
"God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love--not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." --1 John 4:9-10.
Next time you tell someone that you love them, think about this real love...the unfathomable and unfailing love that God shows to us every time He allows us to take a breath, or watch the sun rise, or hear the ocean waves breaking on the shore. Every day is a gift we've been given...make the most of the time, every minute you're living.
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