And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Anyone who has ever had a roommate knows that it does not take long to know way too much about them. Newlyweds experience this at an even higher level. Idiosyncrasies and faults become evident and it has an effect on our view of them. The only way to live with someone and experience this in a positive way is if they are perfect. That would be Jesus Christ. We as Christians do not merely live WITH him but we live IN him. That way, we not only see what he is like but we BECOME what he is like. We see and receive his righteousness and, while we still sin, we begin to look like him the way married couples begin to resemble each other.
There are a couple words here that can comfort us even when he feels distant from us. The first is confidence. We can be sure that we are saved so when he returns, we can rejoice at his majesty instead of shrinking from it. The second word is know. We do not just hope he can save us but we KNOW he can and does. Let us thank him for these great truths.
Dear Lord, thank you that we abide in you and are born of you through Jesus Christ. Thank you for the assurance of salvation that gives us hope instead of us just hoping we are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church