The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 John 2:17,
“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
In this life there are those things that are of the world and those things that are of God. John enumerates those things that are of the world in verse 16, “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does”. John points out that these things of the world are all going to pass away. But, as opposed to these things that pass away, he observes that those who do the will of God live forever.
When John says the man who does the will of God lives forever, we understand he is not suggesting believers escape physical death. What he is saying is that in physical death believers possess eternal life. Physical death becomes a doorway into the presence of Jesus Christ for believers forever - never to die but to live an eternity with their Lord and Savior who has given his life for them.
So, when do I receive eternal life? I possess it now, today. Now I am a child of God. Now I am marked as one who has done the will of God. In 1 John 3:23 John says, “This is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”
As believers, John tells us in verse 2 of that same chapter, “now we are the children of God”. I became his child when I believed in his name, and as a natural outcome, I love the brethren. When this happened I received eternal life.
Eternal life is not something I will achieve some day. Certainly it is not something I will aspire to, as if I could earn it or qualify for it in any way. It is something I possess today, right now as I write this.
As we read in John’s gospel 1:12, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. Not sometime in the future, but the instant I embraced him in faith, I became God's child. You did too!
I find this just wonderful!
In this life there are those things that are of the world and those things that are of God. John enumerates those things that are of the world in verse 16, “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does”. John points out that these things of the world are all going to pass away. But, as opposed to these things that pass away, he observes that those who do the will of God live forever.
When John says the man who does the will of God lives forever, we understand he is not suggesting believers escape physical death. What he is saying is that in physical death believers possess eternal life. Physical death becomes a doorway into the presence of Jesus Christ for believers forever - never to die but to live an eternity with their Lord and Savior who has given his life for them.
So, when do I receive eternal life? I possess it now, today. Now I am a child of God. Now I am marked as one who has done the will of God. In 1 John 3:23 John says, “This is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”
As believers, John tells us in verse 2 of that same chapter, “now we are the children of God”. I became his child when I believed in his name, and as a natural outcome, I love the brethren. When this happened I received eternal life.
Eternal life is not something I will achieve some day. Certainly it is not something I will aspire to, as if I could earn it or qualify for it in any way. It is something I possess today, right now as I write this.
As we read in John’s gospel 1:12, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. Not sometime in the future, but the instant I embraced him in faith, I became God's child. You did too!
I find this just wonderful!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment