1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
Developing a greater appreciation
and familiarity of God's presence brings three benefits.
The first is companionship; at
some point, we all realize that human companionship is limited; even the best
of friends can't always be there for us. They move, fade away or die. Sometimes
they don't understand, and sometimes they aren't faithful. If we try to meet
all our companionship needs through others, no matter how wonderful they are,
we're in for a life of frustration. However, we have a friend that sticks
closer than a brother (Proverbs 18: 24), and he understands us entirely since
he experienced temptation just as we do (Hebrews 4:15).
John says we can hear this
friend, and He always listens, communicates, and expresses affection. He is
also patient with us, forgives us whenever we wrong him, and stays committed
even though we ignore him for long periods.
The second is confidence. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Our journey won't be free of storms. The storms are plentiful and wide-ranging. We get a layoff notice from our boss; our friends turn their backs on us; we lose someone we love in death or some physical separation. However, we can have the confidence to know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. In Mark's gospel (Mark 4:35-41), we find a prime example of resting in faith that God is always there.
Jesus and the disciples were
sailing on Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly a furious
storm erupted, as often happens on that body of water. According to the
scriptures, Jesus was fast asleep in the stern of the boat. The frightened
disciples awoke Jesus and asked Him if He would do something to help. Jesus
woke up and spoke to the water and the wind, "Quiet, Be still." When
the wind and waves had calmed down, Jesus asked the Disciples why they were so
afraid and where their faith was.
We can have the confidence to
know that, in faith, Jesus is always in our boat, in calm water, and through the
most tremendous storms of life.
The Third is compassion. The more
time we walk with Christ, the more like him we become. Look what happened to
John. As a young disciple, he wanted to destroy a town because some of its
residents didn't want Jesus to stay there (Luke 9 54). But after a lifetime in
God's presence, he wrote whoever does not love does not know God because God is
love (1 John 4:8).
The Phrase "God is
Love" is one of the most misunderstood and often misused concepts of the
entire Word of God. Some people use the Idea that God is Love in an idea that
robs God of His righteousness. People that shun Christ Jesus and His gospel
will never hear from God that I will allow you to have eternal life because I
have a soft and tender heart. God will never compromise His righteousness, so
He can never negotiate with sinful behavior. The Love that God has is not
dependent on anything in our being; our hearts, minds, bodies, spirits, or
souls.
There is only one way to
experience the great Love of God, and that way is Jesus, the way, the truth,
and the life (John 14:6). We experience the Love of God by accepting His plan
of salvation only through Christ Jesus. We do this by allowing His death on the
cross, His spilled Blood to atone for our past, present, and future sins.
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