Do You Know Your Creator?

more precious than gold, than much pure gold… (Psalms 19:10)

When David finally took possession of the nation of Israel and was installed as king, he became a man of great wealth. When we read the Psalms he wrote, we see the things he valued most in life reflected in his writings. David valued his relationship to his Creator above anything else on earth. Knowing God was the most important thing in David’s life. As he wrote in Psalm 19, understanding God’s revealed word was more precious and valuable to him than gold or anything else life had to offer him.

Psalm 19 shows us three truths about how God communicates with us, and how we can know him. As I have written previously, the word “know” or “knowledge” has various meanings. One can “know” facts or truths about someone without ever meeting that person, such as reading books about the person. This is a different kind of knowledge than knowing someone through a personal relationship. The first two truths in Psalm 19 are concerning knowing about God, and the third truth is concerning having a personal relationship with God. So the first two truths are one-way communication of knowledge from God to us, and the third way is two-way communication between God and us.

Truth One: Knowing God through Observing His Creation (Science) - Psalm 19:1-6

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. (Psalms 19:1-6)

David starts out the Psalm by writing about how God speaks through his creation, specifically the “heavens.” The “heavens” here is referring to parts of creation we can observe in the sky, specifically the stars and the sun. According to Genesis 1, the stars, sun and moon were all created on the fourth day of creation:

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19)

We can see several purposes of the elements we can observe in the heavens from these verses: signs to mark seasons and days and years, to give light on the earth, and to separate the night from the day. David states in Psalm 19 that these signs in the heavens communicate with their own language, and that they “declare the glory of God.”

Throughout much of the history of mankind the concept of the word “science” meant to study the creation God had created and learn from it. As I have written in other articles, the English word for science used to be synonymous with the word “knowledge” before it took on its more narrow meaning in modern times. Much of early science was concerned with studying the heavens for purposes of navigation when the world still traveled around primarily in ships. We also read in the book of Daniel in the Bible that the Babylonian culture (and later the Mede/Persian culture) had knowledge in the study of the stars, as these “wise” men, which included the Hebrews Daniel and his friends, included “astrologers.” It was this knowledge that led the Magi from Persia many years later to follow the Star of Bethlehem to find the Messiah, the Jewish King, born as a baby in Bethlehem who was named Jesus. (There is an excellent documentary made on the Star of Bethlehem by Rick Larson which is worth watching: http://bethlehemstar.net/ )

In the Book of Romans in the New Testament portion of the Bible, the apostle Paul writes that the creation of God teaches us about God’s moral character, and that the truth of God and his existence is evident to all who look at the creation. God’s creation speaks to us and there can be no doubt that God created us, and that we have a responsibility to understand who God is:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

While observing the creation teaches something about God and leads us to seek out our Creator, the second way God communicates with his creation is through his revealed written word.

Truth Two: Knowing God and What He Expects of Us through His Revealed Written Word - Psalm 19:7-11

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalms 19:7-11)

Observing the universe that God created and learning from its language teaches us some things about God. But what God’s expectations and standards are for those of us who live in this world had to be revealed to man by direct encounters with God. Throughout the history of mankind God chose certain people to communicate these standards and directives. Many of them were directed to write down these messages from God, referred to in Psalm 19 by various words such as laws, statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances. The Bible today is the best collection of the written record of these revelations from God.

Moses was the main person who recorded the laws of God in Old Testament times. God had made a covenant with Abraham, the forefather of the Jews, which is recorded in Genesis 12:

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

Israel was the chosen nation from which God would bless all other families on the earth. But during the days when Moses lived, the Israelites were slaves in the land of Egypt. God brought them out of Egypt miraculously, and then he revealed to Moses a system of laws and commands by which they were to live. These commands were dictated to Moses in his own language. This revealed law from God that Moses wrote down is contained within the first five books of the Bible that Moses wrote. It is this body of writing that King David is mainly referring to in Psalm 19:7-11, which he placed greater value than anything else that existed on earth. Notice how David describes God’s written revealed word:

• It is perfect, reviving the soul.
• It is trustworthy, making wise the simple.
• It is right, giving joy to the heart.
• It is radiant, giving light to the eyes.
• It is pure, enduring forever.
• It is sure, and altogether righteous.
• It is more precious than gold.
• It is sweeter than honey.
• It warns/protects us.
• There is great reward in keeping it.

Living and ruling the nation of Israel by this system of laws that God had revealed to Moses allowed David and the nation of Israel to prosper. A partial fulfillment of the Abraham covenant was fulfilled, particularly during the rule of his son King Solomon, where Israel had rest from all their enemies, and all nations of the world came to Jerusalem to worship God and learn the wisdom of King Solomon which was based on the written revealed word of God: The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. (1 Kings 10:24) Solomon wrote much of the “wisdom” literature contained in the Old Testament portion of the Bible, particularly the Proverbs.

The Old Testament Law is still valuable to us today in understanding God’s expectations and standards. It is still the basis of most legal systems around the world today. In the New Testament the apostle Paul wrote:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“Scripture” is another word used to refer to God’s revealed word in written format, and we use it today to refer also to the New Testament writings of the Bible. But when Paul wrote this, he was referring mainly to the Old Testament writings because not all of the New Testament writings had been recorded or collected yet. The laws of God are seen as “useful,” not only for rulers and legal systems of nations, but for the “man (or woman) of God” who wants to be “thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Throughout history rulers and religious leaders have sought to keep the Bible from being translated into the common language of the masses, so that they could be kept “in the dark” and easily controlled. Many of these “dark ages” passed away after key reformers took on the task of translating the scriptures into the language of the common people in the face of terrible persecution, such as John Wycliffe (English) and Martin Luther (German). Their efforts transformed societies because of the great knowledge of the scriptures that was made available to the masses. In more modern times, the atheistic communist regimes have sought to keep the scriptures from being available to the masses of people during the “Cold War” period.

Truth Three: Knowing God on a Personal Basis – Psalm 19:12-14

Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalms 19:12-14)

While the written revealed word of God communicates standards and principles that God desires everyone to live and abide by, he wants us to move beyond knowing about him, and come into a personal relationship with him. David not only knew about God through looking at the creation and studying the revealed written word of God, he had a personal relationship with God, where God communicated with him on a personal level, guiding him and directing him according to the path that God had planned for his life.

What makes this kind of relationship possible is the act of forgiveness. While studying the laws of God teaches us what God expects of his creation, it also teaches us that we fall short of meeting those expectations, and that we are incapable of living by those expectations perfectly. Once we understand this, we understand our need to be forgiven by our Creator in order to come into a personal relationship with him.

Fortunately for us, God has provided a way for forgiveness that does not compromise his own character of holiness, purity and righteousness. Since God is both the law-giver and the law-ruler, he cannot pervert justice by allowing guilty people to go unpunished. That would violate his own character and the very moral fibers of the universe. In Old Testament times, a blood sacrifice was commanded to atone for sins. The writer of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament explains that the act of an animal sacrifice in and of itself did not atone for the person’s sins, but that it was their faith in God. Faith in God that he would atone for their sins was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, referred to as the “lamb of God,” whose sacrificial death on the cross atoned for the sins of the world. Forgiveness of sins is now available to anyone without the need for animal blood sacrifices. A desire to turn away from one’s sins (failure to keep the standards of the law) and find forgiveness, trusting in God’s provision in satisfying his demand for justice through the death of Jesus Christ, results in a person being born again spiritually and coming into a personal relationship with him. Do you know your Creator? Or do you only know about him? For more on the born again experience, read here.

Once our sins are forgiven and we have a spiritual relationship with God, we can communicate with him on a personal level, receiving wisdom and guidance from him that is specific to our life, and the plan he has for us!

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Related articles:

WHO You Know is More Important Than WHAT You Know!

How God Speaks to Us Today

The Voice of God: Your Path to Healing or to Suffering

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What does it mean to be a “Christian?”

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26)

The name “Christian” carries a wide range of meaning and understanding today, as it has throughout history. It is obviously related to “Christ,” which is from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for “Messiah,” and refers to the person of Jesus Christ. A general definition of “Christian” then would be someone who follows the teachings or doctrine of Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus Christ are contained in the Bible, but how they are understood and what kind of people should bear the name “Christian” is highly debatable, and by no means universally accepted or understood.

It is interesting to note that the followers of Jesus during his lifetime on earth and shortly after did not refer to themselves as “Christians.” In the New Testament writings of the Bible, those who followed Jesus and his teaching referred to themselves as “disciples,” “believers,” “brethren,” and other similar terms. When they were gathered together in one place they referred to themselves as the “church,” which has a very different meaning in the way it was used in the Bible than it does in contemporary culture. It meant a gathering or assembly of people for a specific purpose. The word was used not only in a religious sense, but also in a secular sense such as in Acts 19:39 where the word is translated as a legal “assembly” in relation to the Roman government. The focus is on the people and their gathering together, not on the place or building they gathered in, or in some organization or institution, as the word has come to mean in contemporary culture.

The original disciples and followers of Jesus were all Jews. Therefore in the very early stages of the development of church gatherings in and around Jerusalem, which grew at a rapid rate where sometimes thousands of people were added to the assemblies at one time, the disciples were seen as a sect, or branch, of the Jewish religion which centered around the teachings of Jesus Christ. Sometimes the disciples were referred to as the sect of “the Nazarenes” by those who opposed them, because Jesus and many of the original disciples came from Nazareth. It was believed that no prophet or person of note would ever come from that area of Israel, so it was a negative term used by those who opposed the early believers. But they were still viewed as Jews.

All of that quickly changed, however, when non-Jews began believing in Jesus and joining the assemblies, and even starting their own assemblies. Non-Jews were called “Gentiles.” The first large assembly that quickly grew of mainly non-Jews was the one in Antioch. To refer to these believers as a sect of the Jewish religion or “Nazarenes” was no longer appropriate. Hence, the people living in that area began calling them “Christians.” It does not appear that the believers themselves were using this term: it appears that it was used by those outside the church, to distinguish them from Jewish believers. It is likely that like “Nazarenes,” the name “Christian” was used negatively.

Besides Acts 11:26, the word “Christian” is only used in two other places in the Bible. One is in Acts 26, when Paul is being held prisoner by the Roman Governor Festus before going to trial in Rome, and he appears before the Jewish King Agrippa and eloquently defends his faith in Jesus as the Messiah. King Agrippa then asks Paul: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28) Since the term “Christian” seemed to be only used for Gentile believers, the Jewish King’s question could be interpreted as a question of denying his Jewish faith. Paul does not give a direct yes or no answer, but instead replies: “Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” (Acts 26:29) He basically avoids the term “Christian” altogether, since in his defense he mentions how strictly he adhered to the conservative form of the Jewish religion as a member of the Jewish Pharisee party. To “become like Paul” in this context therefore was to be like a strict conservative religious Jew who had accepted Jesus as his Messiah.

The final occurrence of the name “Christian” appears in 1 Peter chapter four. In this chapter the apostle Peter is explaining to believers that those who follow Christ will suffer hardships, and that this is normal. He draws a distinction between those who suffer simply from associating with Christ even though they have done nothing wrong, and those who suffer because they commit offenses against others. He writes:

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (1 Peter 4:12-16)

It would appear that within this context, again it is those who are opposing the believers that are using the name “Christian.” But Peter says that in such a situation we should not be ashamed of the name, since it includes the name of Christ. We should praise God in such a situation.

So should believers of Jesus Christ today use the name “Christian” to describe themselves, even though the earliest disciples did not? There is probably no right or wrong answer to that question. The answer really depends on what one wants to communicate by using such a name, and how the people you are communicating with understand the meaning of the name. The name “Christian” is understood in many different ways, especially among various cultures and languages around the world, since there is so much history and politics associated with the name. One should consider carefully how the name is understood within their particular context and culture.

Of much greater importance is the issue of what Jesus himself thinks about the use of names and associations. As I have pointed out in other devotionals, there is a vast difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing that person through personal association. One can say, for example, that they know the President of the United States, because they know the President’s name and know some things about the President and the political party the President is associated with. Such knowledge comes from reading what others have written, or listening to what other people have said about the person. The number of people who “know” the President this way could well number in the hundreds of millions, if not billions of people. But the people who truly know the President through personal association, who have actually met the President and spent time with the President, would be a far smaller number by comparison.

Knowing Jesus is the same way. Jesus strictly warned people that those who only know about him, including religious people, will have no place in his eternal kingdom:

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Just as there are very many people who know about the President of the United States but only a few people who truly know the President, so it is with Jesus. Bearing the name of “Christian” or believing in a certain doctrine will not impress Jesus when you meet him in eternity after your physical death, if that is the first time you are meeting him. Even those who live “good” lives and try their best to follow the teachings of Jesus and the Bible will not impress Jesus. Only those who truly know Jesus will enter into his eternal kingdom, and Jesus himself said that the numbers who enter will be few:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Notice in the passage above how Jesus describes those who truly know him: “but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

Jesus himself was the perfect example of someone who only did the will of his Father in Heaven, and never did things to serve his own self-interest:

I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does….. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:19,30)

There is a God who is the Creator of the world, and who also created you. He has a specific will for your life. Everyone is either learning to follow God’s will for their lives, or following their own personal interests while ignoring God. Jesus knew God perfectly and perfectly followed his will. Those who know Jesus and are his disciples are in the process of learning how to deny themselves and their own personal agendas, and how to follow God’s will and plan for their lives.

Do you know Jesus? Are you one of his disciples? This question is far more important than what label you carry, or what other people call you. To know Jesus, we first have to meet him. We do this spiritually, by being born again spiritually. To learn more about the spiritual rebirth, read the foundational article here. Once we meet Jesus, our personal agendas in life need to be given up and laid at the feet of Jesus as a sacrifice, so that as disciples of Jesus we wait for his instructions to accomplish the will of God in our lives. Our will is sacrificed for his. We will find true health and fulfillment the closer we draw to him and follow his plan, as we get to know him better and remain in his presence each day accomplishing his will!

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (John 15:4-19)

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Joy within Sorrow: The Great Paradox of Life

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11)

The time of Jesus’ earthly ministry was drawing to a close. Soon he would have to walk that lonely road to the cross where he would be crucified, and separated from his family and friends. He knew that his family and friends would initially experience great sorrow over his execution and death, but he also knew what wonderful things were going to happen in the future on the other side of the cross, when he came out of the grave and rose again from the dead. So he takes some time with his closest disciples to try and prepare them for what is about to happen.

At the beginning of the fourteenth chapter of the gospel of John, we have the words of Jesus recorded that he spoke to his closest friends just before he was betrayed and handed over to the Jewish authorities to be arrested and executed:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)

Jesus’ words here contain an exhortation, and some promises. The promises are:

1. My father has a “house” with many rooms. This place is not in the current physical world, but in heaven.

2. Jesus was going to this place in heaven, and preparing a place for his friends.

3. Jesus is coming back to take his friends with him to this place in heaven.

These promises then formed the basis for his exhortation: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” Things were going to get ugly very quickly. A group of soldiers were on the way to arrest Jesus, and he was about to be tried and convicted, and then sentenced to execution. Things would appear to be hopeless. It would appear that they would be completely separated from Jesus, never to see him again, as they would watch him die a painful death being executed on the cross. But the truth of the situation was that his death was temporary. Wonderful things were going to happen as a result of his death, which was actually part of an overall plan to bring salvation to the world. So he takes this time just before he is arrested to comfort them with the truth, and exhort them to not let their hearts be troubled, but instead trust in him and the things he had taught them.

Our hearts represent the seat of our emotions. Our emotions can get out of hand and betray us, and sometimes we need our mind to take over and control our emotions. This is what Jesus was attempting to teach his closest disciples, and he further elaborated on this concept in John chapter 16, where he compared the current situation they were going through with the example of a woman suffering while giving birth to a child:

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. (John 16:20-22)

A woman can have joy in the midst of her pain and agony while giving birth to a child, because she knows what the result will be in the future after that event is over. The result is something very positive and joyful. Jesus stated that his followers would experience the same thing: a time of grief followed by great joy. This is the truth of the great paradox in life: the greatest joy is found in the midst of pain and suffering.

Outside of the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus explained in John chapter 15 that this concept of having joy within the midst of pain and suffering was an ongoing process – not just something that happens occasionally in life. It is God’s way of “pruning” us and keeping us connected to Jesus:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:1-11 italics added)

While the pruning can be painful, the outcome is “fruitfulness” and joy. The more we experience the love of God by remaining united to Jesus, the more joy we have. But along with that joy comes opposition by the world and the world system. This opposition brings pain and suffering into our life. But that pain and suffering should not snuff out our joy, because we know the outcome of our faith and what is in store for the future. Jesus overcame the world system that opposed him and led to his execution, by rising from the dead. He lives in heaven now, and his followers will also join him there.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

The world’s philosophy of life, built upon the faulty foundation of evolution, is in direct contrast to this paradoxical truth of joy in the midst of pain and suffering. If you are not joyful, their solution is to give you a pill and hide the pain and suffering. Their incorrect thinking is that the world is becoming a better place through science and technology, and that pain and suffering will one day be overcome through man’s superior intelligence and technical skills. They believe medicine will one day eliminate diseases, for example. Unfortunately, there is no true joy in this view of life, because there is no hope for the future, after physical death. Only despair. Science and technology are poor objects of faith to trust in when the pain and suffering of life hit you hard.

Jesus, on the other hand, is a person worthy of our trust and faith. He gave up his own physical life on the cross, and now offers a place in heaven in God’s house to all who trust in him. Knowing Jesus and his love for us, will give us great joy, and complete joy, during the times of pain and suffering in this life. He doesn’t remove the pain and suffering from our lives: he himself had to walk the road of pain and suffering to the cross. But he offers us strength, encouragement and hope, which leads to joy. Do you trust him? Do you have complete joy in your life?

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (John 14:1)

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11)

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The Superiority of Spiritual Food

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:31-34)

Did you know that there is physical food and there is spiritual food? One may be enjoying good nutritious physical food and be completely nutrient lacking in spiritual food, or even starving to death spiritually. We wrote previously regarding the necessity of spiritual food, as taught by Moses in the Old Testament writings of the Bible. Moses wrote:

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

The spiritual food that Moses wrote about was symbolized by the physical manna, which was a heavenly bread that God gave to the Israelites all the years they sojourned in the desert after they left Egypt, and before they came into the promised land. But the actual spiritual food was “every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

Jesus states this very same truth regarding spiritual food in John chapter 4 in the verses above, when he took time out to talk to the Samaritan woman at a well near the Samaritan town of Sychar. His disciples had gone into town to buy physical food to eat. When they brought the food back to presumably start preparing for a meal (probably no ready-made fast food in those days!), they urged Jesus to eat with them. But Jesus had just finished a long discussion with this woman explaining that he was the Messiah and the fulfillment of their prophecies, and she was now bringing the rest of the town out to meet him and hear his teaching. This was no time to eat! Jesus took time to meet the spiritual needs of the people in the town before he took care of his own physical needs for food, because this was what God was telling him to do at that particular time.

Jesus demonstrated the superiority of spiritual food over physical food. Obviously it is not wrong to eat a meal at meal times, but in this particular situation God had a specific plan for Jesus to accomplish, and that was Jesus’ spiritual food. Jesus stated on many occasions that while he lived his life on earth, that he never did anything that God wasn’t already telling him to do. Jesus did not speak or act out of his own initiative. He only spoke the words God gave him to speak, and only did the things God told him to do. Always.

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19)

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)

So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. (John 8:28)

Jesus had perfect spiritual nutrition, because he perfectly heard and perfectly obeyed everything God told him. Now we can have spiritual food also, by listening to Jesus and obeying his instructions for our lives. Spiritual food is superior to physical food, because it leads to eternal life and spiritual health, whereas physical food only nourishes our body, which will eventually die and decay.

Jesus came into a village one day where two sisters invited them into their home. One of them busied herself with preparing for the meal, while the other one took time to listen to Jesus’ teaching. One was concerned with physical food, while the other was concerned about spiritual food:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

On another occasion Jesus was teaching in a rural area where several thousand people showed up to listen to him teach, and to perform miracles of healing. On that occasion he took “five small barley loaves and two small fish” and multiplied it into enough physical food to feed thousands of people. It was such an incredible miracle, that the people wanted to make him king right then and there. But Jesus knew that they were more concerned about physical food than spiritual food, and tried to teach them the difference. Here is the conversation as recorded by John:

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, "I came down from heaven'?" "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:25-63)

Jesus tried to explain to them the superiority of spiritual food over physical food. Remember, spiritual food is defined as hearing the voice of God and obeying it. Jesus did this perfectly, and had perfect spiritual health. The main principles regarding spiritual food that Jesus taught in the passage above were:

1. To recognize Jesus’ voice and the truth he was speaking, one had to know God first, and most of the Jews of his day did not. Manny of them knew about God through the writings of Moses and the Old Testament scriptures, but few actually knew him personally. If they were not already being nourished with spiritual food by listening to and obeying the voice of God, as Moses had taught them, then they would not recognize Jesus’ voice either.

2. Spiritual food is more important than physical food, because it has eternal value: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

3. Jesus spoke of spiritual food symbolically by calling it his flesh/body and his blood. He was of course referring to his sacrificial death on the cross which as yet had not happened when he spoke these words in John chapter 6. These statements about his flesh and blood brought tremendous confusion to those present, and most of them stopped following Jesus, probably thinking he was crazy. But a short time later Jesus’ body was pierced as he was nailed to the cross, and his blood spilled onto the ground. That voluntary death broke the power of sin and physical death over the human race, allowing Jesus to offer spiritual life and eternal life to all who believe in him and accept his free gift of salvation. It is a spiritual salvation that results in us being reborn spiritually. This act of faith in accepting Jesus’ spiritual gift of salvation is in essence our first spiritual meal. Jesus instituted a kind of memorial meal just before he died on the cross that is commonly known today as “the Lord’s Supper.” It took place during the Jewish Passover meal:

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:14-20)

This memorial dinner Jesus had with his disciples just before he went to the cross was to symbolize the New Covenant Jesus was instituting by his sacrificial death. Just as a lamb was sacrificed under the Old Covenant that Moses had instituted, and the blood of the lamb was put on the doorposts of the Hebrew slaves living in Egypt so that the angel of death might pass them by, so now Jesus was becoming the Lamb of God whose blood spilling on the cross would take away the sins of the world.

This is where your spiritual nutrition starts, and your first spiritual food. It starts by believing in Jesus for your spiritual health and spiritual rebirth. Then it continues as we listen to Jesus and his instructions for our lives as we live out the rest of our days here on this earth. The closer we listen and the more we obey and carry out the instructions he gives us, the healthier we are spiritually.

What is your spiritual health like today? Are you lacking in spiritual nutrition, or perhaps even starving to death spiritually? Physical food will only nourish your body which one day will die and begin the process of decay, returning to the dust of the earth. But your spirit will live on into eternity. Is your spirit currently nourished, or famished? Spiritual food comes from Jesus, and it is FREE! Ask him today for your daily bread, his specific instructions for your life, so that you will not go spiritually hungry.

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

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The Validity of Testimony vs. Science in Understanding Truth

I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? (words of Jesus in John 3:11-12)

We have seen in a previous devotional how the meaning of the English word "science" has changed over the years. Originally a French word derived from Latin, its original meaning was synonymous with "knowledge." In the 18th and 19th centuries its meaning was generally equated with the field of "philosophy," but in 20th and 21st centuries its meaning is much more restricted and is generally equated with knowledge "obtained and tested through the scientific method and concerned with the physical world and its phenomena." (Full quote and reference here.)

The problem with this very narrow definition of science used in modern times is that there are very few things in real life that are proven via "the scientific method." Proving historical events, for example, cannot be done via the scientific method. We can read historical records of events, but we have to trust the person who recorded the event since there is no scientific method for proving historical events. This is also the reason we have a judicial system for trying legal cases. Our system of determining guilt in a historical crime such as a murder, for example, is heavily dependent upon the testimony of witnesses. The scientific method might be used for the gathering of data and certain kinds of evidence, but an eye-witness testimony from a credible source is usually considered the strongest evidence in a court of law to prove something as true or not.

The Jews in Old Testament times similarly placed great weight on the validity of testimony. A sentence of death could not be applied without the testimony of "two or three" witnesses:

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Hebrews 10:28)

The weight of testimony in determining truth is also dependent upon the credibility of the witnesses. When the Jews tried to accuse Jesus of blasphemy, for example, and sentence him to death, they apparently had a hard time finding two or three credible witnesses:

Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'" Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. (Mark 14:55-59)

When we consider the truth about Jesus, it is important to consider the testimony about him and his identity, and his own testimony to the truth that comes from God. The first person recorded in the Bible who gave testimony to the identity of Jesus is John the Baptist. John was considered a prophet by the populace, and he caused quite a stir among the religious leaders of his day as he quickly gathered large crowds who came out to be baptized by him. He was a threat to the religious leaders and was eventually beheaded because he opposed the corruption in the government of his day. But at the height of his popularity, it is recorded that the religious leaders sent a delegation out to him to try and figure out who he claimed to be. John replied by stating that his purpose was to testify about Jesus, who is the Son of God:

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." They asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,' as Isaiah the prophet said." Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them saying, "I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." ...The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' "I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God." (John 1:19-34)

Notice the testimony that John gave about Jesus: 1. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, 2. He existed before John (even though John was born before Jesus), 3. He saw the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus out of heaven, 4. Jesus would baptize people in the Holy Spirit (as opposed to only water as John did), 5. Jesus is the Son of God.

After John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus began his own ministry and soon his popularity far exceeded John's because of the incredible miracles that Jesus performed. The religious leaders also confronted Jesus, because he was threatening their power base:

The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name testify of me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:24-30)

Jesus apparently did not answer them directly and use the term "Christ/Messiah," because the title was understood mostly as a political title, and someone coming from the line of David and claiming the Davidic throne would have been considered a political threat to the Roman government that ruled in Israel. Instead, Jesus testified about his relationship to God whom he called his Father. This was considered blasphemy by the Jews, and they tried to arrest him, and on at least one occasion even tried to stone him. But the crowds following him were still too powerful. So they continued to try and engage him in public debate and trap him. Using the law of Moses, they accused him of false testimony:

The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid." Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me." Then they asked him, "Where is your father?" "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." (John 8:13-19)

Jesus stated that his testimony was true, and that God himself testified about who Jesus was. There were many ways God testified on behalf of Jesus. One of the ways God testified about Jesus was through the miracles Jesus performed, such as miraculous healings, miraculous feedings, and even raising people from the dead.

The miracles I do in my Father's name testify of me (John 10:25)

Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know. (Acts 2:22)

When Jesus walked the earth, there were also several occasions God spoke to Jesus in an audible voice from heaven:

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine." (John 12:27-30)

Since the crowds that followed Jesus were frequently divided between those who believed his testimony and those who did not, presumably those who believed in him heard this voice from heaven, while those who did not believe him thought they heard thunder.

But the main way God testified on behalf of Jesus was through His Spirit. We read in a previous devotional that most of our direct knowledge comes through personal relationships, and not scientific discovery. Jesus constantly stated that those who knew his Father, God, also would know him. This is because Jesus never spoke on his own initiative, but only spoke the words God was speaking to him. So those who knew God (via a personal relationship as opposed to simply knowing about God through the Old Testament writings) and recognized the word of God, would recognize Jesus. This is the reason that John, the author of the gospel of John, referred to Jesus as "the Word."

I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. (John 5:30-38)

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were mostly corrupt (although there were some notable exceptions - see the story of Nicodemus in John 3:1-20), and only had intellectual knowledge about God through the Old Testament writings. They did not know God personally, and therefore they did not recognize Jesus or accept the abundance of testimony about him.

Things are no different today. Living in our modern western culture which is built upon a theory of evolution, most people try to understand truth strictly through the physical realm, foolishly believing in the myth that science can prove all truth. But there are many things we base our lives on today as truth that are not learned through scientific discovery. If you want to prove your birth, for example, you produce a birth certificate which is based on testimony, usually the testimony of a physician or person who helped your mother with your delivery. If you want to prove your marriage, you produce a marriage certificate, which is based on testimony, usually the testimony of the person officiating your wedding ceremony, etc. These are examples of the many things we hold true that can NOT be proven through scientific discovery.

So do you believe the testimony about Jesus and his claims? He claims to be the Word of God, the Son of God, the Creator of the World, the firstborn of the dead having risen from the dead and walking out of the grave after three days, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, offering eternal life as a free gift to all who believe him.

Jesus came from heaven as the Word of God, and spoke the words of God. John, the author of the Gospel of John, explains that those who receive the testimony of Jesus certify that God is true, and receive God's Spirit as a certificate of his ownership over us. This certificate guarantees that we will inherit eternal life. Those who do not believe the testimony of Jesus must bear the penalty of their own sins. When they die the physical death, they will not meet God with the certificate of the Holy Spirit that those who are born again spiritually have. Do you believe the testimony of Jesus? Do you have the certificate of the Holy Spirit necessary to enter into eternal life? You don't want to die without it, because faith in science will not prevent your physical death or guarantee your entrance into heaven!

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is true. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. (John 3:31-36)

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Are You Relying on God’s Love?

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)

When Jesus walked the earth in human form and began his three year ministry, many believed in him and followed him as disciples. Among those disciples, there were twelve that he chose at the beginning of his ministry. These twelve were with him during the entire three years his ministry lasted, up until his death and resurrection. Eleven of these twelve went on to become apostles and leaders in the early church. Out of those original twelve, he had an inner group of three that were closer to him than the rest: John, James, and Peter. Of those three, it seems apparent from the New Testament writings that John probably knew Jesus the best. Both John and Peter went on to become major leaders of the early church, while James (the brother of John) was executed early on in the beginning of the spread of the gospel message in Jerusalem.

In John’s biography of Jesus, which is unique and different from the other three biographies written (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), he never referred to himself by name in his writings. Instead, he usually referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (e.g. see John 20:2 and John 21:7). This man John, who was apparently the best friend of Jesus, defined his relationship to Jesus as “the one whom Jesus loved.” He had experienced that love first hand, and when you read his writings in the New Testament, it is the foundation for everything he wrote and taught – the foundation of truth itself.

The letter of 1 John is perhaps the greatest teaching ever written on the truth and meaning of love. The truth statement “God is love” is not simply an intellectual declaration. John knew God’s love. It was not simply the intellectual kind of knowledge where one examines all the evidence and then makes a decision, but the kind of knowledge that comes only through a relationship and subjective experience. John knew God’s love because he experienced it during his time with Jesus. His knowledge of God’s love moved far beyond intellectual understanding. He relied on that love as the basis for everything in his life.

As John came to experience and know God’s love, he realized that God is the source of true love, and that the only way we can love others, is to first receive the love that God has for us. We cannot give something to others that we ourselves do not possess. God gives it to us first, and then once we own it, we are free to give it to others.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11)

God’s love is a free gift, packaged through the sacrifice that Jesus made when he shed his blood on the cross. There is nothing we can do to earn such love. We can only believe in it (intellectual knowledge), and then receive it (faith/action) and start relying on it. When we receive God’s love through Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are born again spiritually. Once we are born of God spiritually, we possess his unlimited love, and can now love others with the same love.

The first person we should love with the same love that God loves us, is God! How do we love God? John wrote:

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:3-4)

The motivation for obeying God’s commands completely changes once we receive God’s love and are born again. Our motivation changes from a sense of obligation or fear in trying to earn God’s favor by obeying the law, to joyfully serving God and delighting in finding out what his plan is so we can obey it and show our love to him.

In the Old Testament there were laws regulating the use of slaves, and one part of the law allowed for a slave to willingly and joyfully stay with the master’s family because he (or she) loved them:

But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant. (Deuteronomy 15:16-17)

Obviously the motivation for a slave to obey his master because he was sold into slavery and had no choice, and the motivation for one that chooses to remain a servant voluntarily out of love for his master, is completely different. The work that needs to be done is the same, but the relationship is completely different. When we obey God after we are born again, it is like the servant in the Old Testament that voluntarily let their ear lobe be pierced, because they loved their master. The best way we can show our love to God is to offer ourselves back to him as a living sacrifice to do his will:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

We obey God out of love because we want to, not because we have to. But if our motivation to obey God is simply fear, then we do not yet know God’s love perfectly:

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:17-18)

And when we willingly offer ourselves to God to obey his commands, as John writes, we do so in faith, and our faith grants us access to God’s power which overcomes the world! (See 1 John 5:3-4 above.)

As to God’s commands, they are simple! Love one another with the same love God has loved us:

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (1 John 3:23)

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21)

Remember that “love” here is defined by God’s love for us. God is love, as John wrote, and the love that he has for us is an unconditional love via the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins. So it is not based in anything “loveable” about us, and it is not something we deserved or earned. It is given. We deserve death as a punishment for our sins, but Jesus took our place.

So now we are to love others the same way. This command is simple and easy to understand once you know God’s love personally. But implementing it is not so simple. It is not easy to love someone who is wrong, or has hurt us, or doesn’t deserve our love, or is just simply not “loveable” for a multitude of reasons. But that’s the way God loves, and it is the command we are to desire to follow. It takes God’s Spirit living inside us to be able to do this. That’s where the reliance comes in that John wrote about in the verse that we started with above:

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)

We can’t rely on ourselves, and we can’t rely on others. We can only rely on God’s love. It is not enough to just simply know about God’s love intellectually. We have to have the kind of experience with God and his love where we rely upon it, because we are living inside God’s love, and his love is living inside of us through the Holy Spirit. That kind of experiential knowledge of God’s love will change our life, and the lives of those around us. Are you relying upon God’s love today?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:10-11)

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