Growing Up
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 word of God abides in
you” gives me cause to sit and contemplate that. Clearly, for those of us who
have accepted Jesus as our Savior and have surrendered to His Lordship, we have
victory in what He achieved on the cross. We have overcome in His atoning blood
and have been freed of our sin-nature. Sure, we will wrestle with the flesh
because we are still in these corrupted bodies. But, through the grace of God,
we are no longer ruled by our sin-nature. We have a choice as to whether to
cave to the flesh or reside in His word and overcome the temptation. We can choose
to be strong and let the word of God abide in us. How awesome is that?!
As I look at what John is
saying in verses 12-14, I also cannot help but see the distinction between the
young men and the fathers. For me, this resonates with whether I am a young man
or a father in my faith. In other words, am I young, and like the believers John
is writing to? Strong, with the word of God abiding in me? Or, am I immature
and undeveloped spiritually? Am I a father, am I producing fruit as a result of
my mature faith? Or am I still an immature believer years into my professed belief?
I will be the first to admit,
the first few years of my faith in Christ, I was pretty immature spiritually. It
honestly was not until a year and a half ago that circumstances in my life made
me look at where I was and who I had allowed myself to become. I had stopped
attending church. I had walked away from those I did life with and I was caught
in a sin-cycle of sin-guilt-shame-self-medicate-repeat. I avoided those that
could speak life into me and when I was around those that could show Christ to me,
I was guarded and disconnected because I was already wrestling internally.
Flash forward a-year-and-a-
half later. I would be lying if I said I don’t have things to work on. In this
season of my life, I am working through trust, releasing impatience, and recognizing
where I need to grow inside. I am establishing connections with people that are
spiritually mature so that I may continue to grow as a believer, and I am
finding peace in the sovereignty of God. I recognize that I have had times
where I dropped the ball in my faith and messed up in my walk. However, I also know
that in repentance I am forgiven, and my salvation is built on this truth: Jesus
saved me for His name’s sake.
What about you? Are you mature in your faith
and your walk with Christ? Are you strong, with the word of God abiding in you?
Are you a father or mother in your faith? Are you producing fruit? Is His name's sake the one that matters most to you? Or, do you need to get serious and
start getting to know Him through His word?
Until Next Time
God Bless.
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