1 Jn. 2:3-4 (HCSB)
This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” yet doesn’t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
How deep is your commitment to God? Is it defined by you calling yourself a Christian, going to church most Sunday mornings, and reading your Bible once every couple of weeks? Or is it deeper than that? Is your commitment limited to only acting like a Christian around your church friends while living like the world the rest of the time? Or is it a commitment that touches and influences every aspect of your life?
That deeper type of commitment is what our Lord is calling us to. It’s also what the disciple John teaches us in his gospel and letters. John taught us that we can Know that we know. We can have an assurance of our salvation and of our Christian faith. This assurance is profound and not just a “maybe so” hopefulness. It’s evident through the obedience to God in our lives.
Jesus made it clear that our love for Him is directly connected to our obedience. He said: “If you love me, you will do what I command.” (Jn. 14:15 NIV), and “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s command and remain in His love.” (Jn. 15:10 NIV) So if we say that we know Him and truly love Him, we should be able to point to obedience in our lives that will reflect that. This obedience will be obvious when it’s apparent to those around us that we aren’t living our lives for ourselves, but for a higher purpose.
This is how we can know that we know Him: if we keep His commands (1 Jn. 2:3), by keeping His Word (1 Jn. 2:5), and walking as Jesus walked (1 Jn. 2:6). “Keeping His Word” signals that it’s not enough to just read, hear, or to know His Word. We need to strive to be “Doers of the Word” as James encourages us to do: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Jms. 1:22 NIV) I enjoy hearing my pastor’s sermons, at least the ones where he’s not stepping on my toes too hard, but if I listen to them week after week, never letting them sink in, but just going in one ear and out the other, how is that ever going to impact my life or those that I come into contact with for God’s kingdom? As the old saying goes…We need to “Walk the walk” not just “Talk the talk.” When we walk our walk we should want to walk as Jesus walked. He gave us the perfect example of the humble servant, doing His Father’s will, following after God in obedience.
This kind of commitment is not easy. It’s hard to go against the gravitational pull of this world. That’s why Jesus says that if we want to follow Him we have to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily, dying to the world. (Mt. 16:24) But because of what God has done for us, through the power of the Holy Spirit we can. We can Know that we know Him and keep His commands, by deciding every day (with the Holy Spirit’s help) that we are going to follow Christ’s example for us –an example of obedience even to the point of death:
(Phil. 2:8 NIV) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.
Pray: Heavenly Father, please help me to follow Jesus’ example by
showing my commitment to You through obedience.