Word Servant

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15 NASB      This verse is like getting punched in the face by Mike Tyson. Maybe not for you. But, definitely for me. I mean, there is a lot in this world I could care less about. Sports is one of those things. I don’t mind playing sports, but I have no desire to be a fan, follow stats, or watch games. When I go to Super Bowl parties, I go to be with my friends and that’s about it. I am also one of those people that enjoy movies for the sake of being entertained. I do not have to know every single detail about every Easter Egg in a movie or what stars are doing in their personal lives. Those things don’t really matter to me.      However, let someone start talking about politics. I struggle with that. I struggle with the notion that there are some of us so completely cut off from empathy we can’t see how our choices effect other lives. I struggle with h

     I know that usually there is a Bible verse but today I am going to deviate from the Word Servant norm. I still encourage you to read 1 John 2:12-14. Those are the verses that impact today’s writing. However, I am going to come at this from a different angle today and just share what’s on my mind and heart.        The words “your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake” hit me hard. I mean, if you really look at the word sake , it means through , by , or because of Him. My sins have been forgiven me through Jesus. Your sins have been forgiven you by Jesus. Our sins have been forgiven us because of Jesus. No matter how I look at it, it is because of Him, through Him, by His life, death and resurrection and for His name’s sake that each of us are saved. Aside from accepting Him as Lord, what have I done in securing my eternal salvation? Nothing. Think about that for a moment.      Further, the words “you have overcome the evil one” and “you are strong, and the

“Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:7-11   Of all the things that Christ has commanded us as believers, this commandment is sometimes difficult for me. The command that John is referring to is the same one found in John 13:34. It’s the command that tells me just as Jesus loved me—a wretched, filthy sinner—I am to love you, too. I know that

     Something that I used to struggle with is whether I really knew God. It’s part of what pulled me toward other belief systems and kept me from being rooted in Jesus. That did not go away entirely when I first got saved, either. To be completely honest, there were times when I still struggled. I had thoughts like: how do I know that I really know God? Do I even know God the way I am supposed to know Him? Are there some sort of spiritual fireworks in that moment of truly knowing Him where the Holy Spirit pours confetti down from the sky? Perhaps a neon sign of confirmation and answered prayer?             I am probably the only person who has ever wrestled with that, too. Nobody that reads this blog has ever wondered how they could be sure that they know God, right? We all just accepted Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior and just knew that we knew God, right!? But, do we really know Him? Some of us might need to ask ourselves a very serious question, right this very minute,