1 John 2:24 – 29 “As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life. I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught. And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
In the American South, there is a saying “Keep it in the middle of the road!” People use that saying to encourage others to keep going, not to get distracted, and not to go off on tangents.
When John wrote these letters to early Christians, he was writing to people who had plenty of distractions, more distractions than they knew what to do with! The Roman Emperors were persecuting Christians. The local people in the towns in which the early Christians lived were putting pressure on them to conform and to sacrifice to the local gods before conducting any kind of business. And there were all the normal stresses of raising families, earning a living, hoping that your kids would turn out all right, etc.
Sound familiar? It should. Despite all of our technology, the spiritual challenges haven’t changed a great deal in nearly 2000 years. “what you have heard from the beginning…” This phrase refers to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born of a virgin as the Son of God and Son of Man. Jesus lived as a man and ministered as a man. And then Jesus laid down his life to die on a cruel cross in the most shameful kind of death imagineable for the sins of the entire world.
As an eye witness to most of the life of Jesus, John is uniquely suited for writing about his first hand experiences with Jesus. But what does John mean about “the anointing that you received from Him?” Jesus was already dead and resurrected when most of these people became believers, so how did this anointing come about?
One of the true miracles of the Christian life is the three – part nature of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And it is the Holy Spirit who comes into the hearts of all those who accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is the Holy Spirit who then helps guide Christians into the ways of God’s truth and who helps us understand when we read the Bible. And it is also the Holy Spirit who helps us remain centered, who leads us, and who gives us the power to live the Christian life.
Many people are afraid of the Holy Spirit! After all, isn’t this a bit spooky or ridiculous? But Jesus himself promised that when he went away into heaven, the Holy Spirit would come. The night before Jesus died, he told his disciples, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17 When we ask Jesus to come and live in our hearts and be our Lord and Master, he sends the Holy Spirit to speak to our minds and to guide us.
The last thing Jesus told his disciples just before he was taken up into heaven was that when he went away, the Holy Spirit would come. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 The disciples might have been scratching their heads at that point, but when the Day of Pentecost arrived and the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in strength and power, Peter suddenly found himself preaching to thousands of people and three thousand of them became Jesus followers on the spot.
Some day, Jesus is coming back. We know neither the day nor the hour, but we know that he has promised to return. Until that day, we need to guard our hearts and to make sure that we are “keeping it in the middle of the road,” and following hard after Jesus.
PRAYER: Father God, help everyone who reads this devotional to stop and ask you to reveal yourself to them. Thank you that you are a good father, and that you always show up when we ask. Let those who ask find you and follow you for the rest of their lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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