Obedience Grows Faith
(This was shared on the private website by one of the FAM Fellowship members Friday, and since it is an important message for all of us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages, I want to share it here as well. So be blessed and encouraged, and remember that Jesus told us that if we love Him, we will obey Him…SO TRUST AND OBEY!)
The following devotion from Glen Jackson today really touched me and made me think. As I continue to walk in obedience to His Word, my faith just keeps getting stronger and stronger. My prayer for all of you is that you will saturate yourselves in the Word; gaining knowledge and understanding that leads to wisdom, as you pray, trust and believe in Him for the restoration of your marriage. God is so faithful and good to meet us where we are and take us to where He wants us to be. He is there for you every step of the way and nothing you are going through is a surprise to Him. He has it all covered! Blessings. (I did add some emphasis at times!)
THE LIFE OF FAITH AND THE GLORIOUS CHURCH - FEBRUARY 29th
“I AM WRITING THESE THINGS TO YOU, THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN”
….”My little children, I am writing these things to you, that you may not sin”….
1 John 2:1a NASB
In the above portion of scripture the apostle John is writing to the Church, and he is nearing the end of his ministry. He has had many great years of service to the Lord and to the Church and he is reflecting on some things, and as he reflects on these things we begin to see the importance of, and gain a deeper revelation of, the things that are so important to the Father’s heart. Right from the start we must realize that God’s Word and the Holy Spirit are there to lead us into ALL truth, and guide us on the straight and narrow path of His perfect will for our lives - in order that we might not remain under the power of sin and, thus, live lives that are pleasing to Him.
….”and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”….
1 John 2:1b NASB
Here we are put in remembrance of the precious Blood of Jesus for the remission of our sins. In the previous chapter the apostle John talks of how that Blood “cleanses us from all sin” and how as we “confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
“IF YOU LOVE ME, YOU WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS”
….”And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked”….
1 John 2:2-6 NASB
There are some important principles in this passage which we must look at.
Jesus said:
….”If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”,
and again
….”He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me, and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love Him, and will disclose Myself to him.” …”If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make our abode with him”….
From this portion of God’s Word we can see clearly that we must take our obedience to the Father and His Word as the only measuring stick of our love towards Him. The degree that we obey God is the degree that we love Him, and to the degree that we love God and have His love shed abroad in our hearts, it is to that degree we are able to “truly” love others with His love. These are very basic truths, but it is so important for every one of us to have these things revealed to our heart to a continually greater degree by the Holy Spirit - in order that we are not deceived by the lies of the Evil One. As we draw near to the Word of God and obey His commandments, we will have the assurance that our “motives” are pure and that our heart is clean before the Father at ALL times - thus allowing us to be pure vessels of His love and truth to all who cross our path.
ABSOLUTE SURRENDER
The Word of God states in verse 5 that:
….”whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected”….
We need to have a deep revelation of the love of the Father, for it is in truly knowing Him - and having His love shed abroad in our heart - that causes (empowers) us to walk in obedience, and most importantly, to have a constant desire to do “only” His will for our lives. That, of course, is the measure of the “absolute surrender” to which we are called: the laying down of our own lives (the self-life) in order to do all to the greatest glory of God. This is precisely why the apostle John writes in verse 6:
….”The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked”….
As who walked? As Jesus walked in the earth!
Jesus said:
….”I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear I judge; and My judgement is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me”….
Everything Jesus did while He was in the earth He did in obedience to the Father’s Word - through the power of the Holy Spirit. And so we too, if we desire to live the true Christian life and operate in the fullness of what God has provided for us, must walk in the same manner in which Jesus walked, that is, to live the life of the “Cross” - being obedient to every command of the Father at ALL times.
In verse 7 the apostle John is refreshing the memories of those in the Church as he writes:
….”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”….
1 John 2:7-8 NASB
As we continue on into the deeper things of the Kingdom, and our minds are constantly being renewed by the Word of God [through the power of the Holy Spirit] the darkness [or veil] that was there before no longer remains, and we begin to be “enabled” to see ALL things through the eyes of God, and come to the place of truly understanding the deepest thoughts and purposes of the tender, loving heart of the Father. This glorious knowledge of His holy character is the catalyst to abiding in a pure and ever-increasing love - both towards God and towards all those who cross our path.
Related Scriptures: Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 1:9; Romans 12:1-2;
Glenn H. Jackson
P.O. Box 1032
Kremmling, CO 80459
You can read Glenn’s messages online or sign up to receive them by email at www.jtlmin.com.
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