“Everyone who confesses that Jesus
is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God.”
— 1 John 4:15 (Msg)
There is a gift known to humankind
that much of humankind has not reckoned upon or redeemed. But with this gift is
an irony. To receive this gift we must give something ourselves; we must give
ourselves; give ourselves over to God; then to
receive the gift of salvation—the free gift, because all gifts should be free,
and this gift is totally and majestically free. All that’s required is
participation in receipt; for all gifts to be gifts they must be received; that is, to
agree we are God’s and always were; to receive our Creator; to agree to
relinquish our rebellion agenda; our rebellion against God. This gift is about
receiving communion with God.
Everyone who believes Jesus is God’s
Son demonstrates this by participating continuously in an intimate relationship with God.
These are fairly plain words. With
belief comes action.
The Action Out of Belief
Those who believe that Jesus is
truly the Son of God are transformed by a Kingdom participation. They cannot
not be engaged in growing spiritually. They are drawn toward intimacy with God.
Their belief compels them toward action. And this action is life-transforming.
Those who confess that Jesus is
truly the Son of God, by their words and actions, draw close to God and are
brought closer to the knowledge of God. More and more they receive God’s
revelation and are motivated and able to serve the Kingdom agenda.
Confessing Jesus as the Son of God
means something significant in one life. That one life—our lives—are changed,
and always for the better. We truly receive life. Before this—and it’s good to be able to contrast the
difference between two lives—life was not really life, not really. It was an attempt at life;
a physical life with sputtering attempts at spiritual life, but without really
knowing why.
Continuous intimacy with God
brings forth many blessings. We cannot help but make our faith viable in an
action-oriented way. We grow as individuals through the lifespan and are kept
humble. We realise, and see how, God is central to everything. And we are
determined to finish well.
An Abiding LORD
When we have learned to abide in
God we see that God abides in us.
Before we sided with God we
couldn’t see how God sided with us, but now we have been converted, and have
taken our place in the Kingdom, we see God working for us despite all barriers.
This working of God is not a
working for our selfish interest; God works by Spirit and truth. Where we abide
in the truth—and continuous participation with God aligns us—we are blessed.
The more we abide, the more God abides in us and through our lives. It’s the
only way it can be.
***
Jesus transforms every believer,
because every believer abides, and to everyone abiding in God, God abides in
them. Such a symphony of abiding comes through continuous intimacy;
participation with God with all our senses and all our being.
© 2013 S. J.
Wickham.
No comments:
Post a Comment