1John 4:15-17 “If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.”
“Abide in love? John, you are crazy!” Many of us reading these verses might be tempted to have this reaction. We know ourselves well, and we know that many if not most of our thoughts are anything but loving. What are we supposed to do with all this love talk anyway?
Here is the thing: if God was asking the impossible of us, He wouldn’t have allowed these verses to be recorded in His Word. But since God has made sure that these verses have stood the test of centuries, then there must be a way for these things to come true. The problem is us!
The whole matter of loving as God loves is a process, and it begins with Jesus. The first thing we must do is to believe that Jesus really is the Son of God and that Jesus really did live as a man and die for our sins and then be resurrected. “But I don’t know how to believe that!” you might say. I want to believe, but I just can’t do it.
I had a disaster recently! My beloved cell phone took a plunge into some water, and now I am trying to dry it out. Meanwhile, I am attempting to transfer data from an older phone to my current one. Most of the transfer programs demand that you give permission for them to access phone numbers, photos, or other material. You can do the same thing with Jesus. You can pray and give Jesus access to your heart and mind.
Here is the question: do you really want to believe in Jesus Christ? Belief is not a matter of pulling yourself up by your spiritual bootstraps. You can pray a very simple prayer: “Lord Jesus, I want to believe in you, but I am having trouble doing so. I am willing to be made willing. I give you permission to change my heart and my mind. I thank you for loving me so much that you were willing to die for my sins. I turn my life over to you and ask you to guide me. Amen.”
Once you have asked Jesus to come into your heart and your mind, He will do so. And you might be surprised about the things He begins to show you, things that you need to get rid of. My husband was a foul – mouthed factory worker until the day he asked a fellow worker who was a Christian how to get the Lord into his life. And the very first thing that happened was that God cleaned up my husband’s mouth! No more cussing. Not too long after that, God quietly convinced my husband to stop smoking after 22 years of 2-3 packs a day.
Nobody can predict what God will do when you begin to believe in Jesus Christ His Son, but you will begin to see changes. When God abides in your heart, that means He comes to stay forever. And the longer God lives in your heart, the more loving you will become. The speed of light is the speed of darkness; light drives out darkness. And the speed of love is the speed of hate. Love drives out hate because they cannot exist in the same place.
What do you have to lose? Take a chance and pray, asking God to forgive your sins and to help you believe in Jesus. And then invite God to live in your heart. You will never regret it.
PRAYER: Father God, help everyone who reads this to be encouraged and to take the chance to invite you into their hearts and minds and lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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