It is burning in John. It is burning to tell as many people as possible about Jesus, what He came to do on earth, and that all people should believe in Him. People didn’t know how or where or when. They might have heard the news about Jesus who had been on earth a couple of years previously, but they did not understand everything about the life after this life and that Jesus indeed came to unlock heaven for all those who believe in Him. 3 We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so that you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. 4Your joy will double our joy.
I cannot choose my earthly family. My parents, brothers and sisters were chosen for me. I cannot simply decide one day that I don’t like them and go looking for another family. But I do have a choice to become part of God’s family and what a prominent family this is! God is the Father. Jesus is my brother! But this family has many other benefits. All who are members of this family will not go to hell when they leave this earth one day; they will rest in the lush meadows of heaven! How unbelievable is that? Wouldn’t everybody want a chance to do that? It is a simple message. These people were with Jesus. They walked with Him along dusty roads. Some of them heard Him preaching, but they still choose not to join God’s family. Why are they so blind? Why are they so stubborn? But this is certainly not abnormal, because today many people still walk around doing the same. For one reason or another they just don’t choose Jesus. Yes, they may have heard the message. Maybe they even chose Jesus and God’s family, but the noise of the world cut those family relations. Maybe I must look in the mirror first. Maybe I should first ask myself whether I’m still part of God’s family. If I ask my neighbour or colleague or the people working for me, if they know who my family is, what will they say? 6If we claim that we experience a shared life with Him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth – we’re not living what we claim. Maybe these verses are our wake-up call! Each of us must go and make sure and realise that we can be part of a wonderful family. When we realise that, we must also go and look at our behaviour. When I’m part of God’s family, my behaviour must be aligned with that, because as you know, actions speak louder than words. And like John, we also want all people, especially those closest to us, to be part of the family that enjoys such wonderful benefits. But then our behaviour must be in line with what we believe. Then my actions must be in line with the family of which I’m a member. The scary thing is that the way in which I act and live can deter others from becoming part of this wonderful family. Yes, I’ve done business with so-called Christian business people whose way of doing things really did not remind me of God’s family. Let’s choose again to be a part of God’s family. Let’s take a magnifying glass and study our behaviour so that we can be sure that we’re not doing anything to discourage others from becoming part of God’s family. Let us do things that will make others long to also be a part of God’s family. Just like John, we must burn with the desire to tell all that we come into contact with about God – and let our actions confirm it! Reflection Are you part of God’s family? Does your behaviour show it? Who close to you must still become part? Comments are closed.
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Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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