But anyway, I pray that God would touch them and work in their hearts as much, if not more, than He did last year. I love them all dearly and they are without a doubt the best people on the planet. It is my hearts desire to see them all walk as close to God as He intends.
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I had the opportunity to teach my Sunday School class this morning in the absence of Jason. When he asked me to fill in, I groaned. Every single time he asks me to teach for him, and I mean every time, the lesson is directed at me. I think the people at Lifeway are reading my mail.
God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. --1 John 1:5,6
So the lesson was about knowing of our salvation, and three indicators that John wrote about that can clue us in to our spiritual state. I don't struggle with doubts over my salvation, not anymore. But I have in the past. What I do struggle with is just how deep is my love for God? Do I really love Him the way I profess? Do I love Him enough to truly turn away from the darkness and deny myself? The verse above is clear... no one can live in sin and disobedience and be at peace with God.
And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. --1 John 2:3-6
So what struck me while preparing this lesson is that I'm tired of excuse-making. Too often I hear, and say, "It's alright. We all sin. God will forgive you (or me)." True, God is forgiving. But there's a point where we take that grace as a license to sin. We've reduced "once saved, always saved" to a cop-out. We disobey God repeatedly, pick ourselves up and dust off, say "Oops!", and then run right back out to the sinning fields for another go.
We will sin, no getting around that. But we have been given the Spirit of God in us to give us the power to resist. The proof is in the last part of the Scripture above. We, "...ought to walk in the same way in which He walked."
I really am tired of excusing myself, and others. I am over professing to love God with all my heart and seeking to follow Him when I know that my habitual disobedience to His word and my sin patterns display otherwise. It's time for a change.
I want to be at peace with God. I want to see Him move in my life and in the lives of those in my circle of influence. I want to be so in tune with Him that I see prayers answered every moment of the day. I want to hear Him and watch Him perform miracles in the lives of those I love.
It all starts with a choice. My choice to keep His commandments, out of love for Him, and therefore see His love perfected. Maybe this sounds like a radical, 360 degree turn around but it's honestly about just a few small things that need to be tweaked. But those small things might as well be mountains when compared to a holy and righteous God.
Well, I guess I've vomited enough here. Next time, I think I'll tell Jason, NO!
Have a wonderful week.
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