If I stop and consider all the quiet pleas I send to God throughout my day, I would be so blessed to see God’s hand through it all. A very good example would be church yesterday. You see, our church is going through 1 John and so is the Bible study I am attending. Throughout this past weekend, I have been considering and working on what I will highlight in our Bible study. And as the sermon was continuing, I began to see and hear the repetition of 1 John over and over.
Of course we all know, love. However other words began to jump out at me: know, commands, born of God, God’s children. So I was marking and noticing and getting all excited. What i was hearing and what I was observing.
What was happening? I was thrilled to see all these words flow through all five chapters of 1 John and kinda forgetting about the message. I put my pen down and gave my full attention, though I was all excited to share my findings with the speaker.
God had other plans. He reminded me through this message that I can listen and observe the text, but I also, always, can be taught. I can get a little prideful (oh, I’ve seen that…or I already know that..)
Do I? Do I really cuz I kinda think if I got this message down pat I wouldn’t be having those thoughts. The markings in my Bible can be a source of pride as well. So, calm down, little human, God’s word always has something to teach.
Love holds no space for not forgiving. There is no room in God’s economy to hate those who hurt or harm. Rather, John states frequently, if God loves us, we ought to love one another. That doesn’t mean we are a doormat, 1 John 2 states quite clearly that:
“They went out from us [seeming at first to be Christians], but they were not really of us [because they were not truly born again and spiritually transformed]; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out [teaching false doctrine], so that it would be clearly shown that none of them are of us.”
1 John 2:19 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/1jn.2.19.AMP
John makes it known that being wise in your interactions is imperative. It is okay to realize through the Holy Spirit to not allow everyone to be a part of your circle of humans. For if, as John says, they had been with us, they would have remained. Ergo, there are times in our lives that we break the chains of anger and frustration, but we don’t have to let them rule our hearts.
I heartily want God’s forgiveness over my life. I do not want to be in chains. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Letting God handle the justice, not replaying over and over the hurt, giving God the space to use the hurt to be a blessing to others.
That is what the speaker yesterday did for me. He reminded me that freedom found in Christ is what I choose to set my mind upon. God’s commands about all this are meant for these words “are not a burden.”(1 John 5:3)
I gave up my walk today to put this all together. I know I made the right choice. I want to live in the freedom that truth and love and Christ gives me. Obeying Christ and the commands laid out is my worship today.
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