1 JOHN 2:3-6 – And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
THEME OF THE DAY. WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE. I do not think it necessary to go into detail what is happening in our world. You know it well. Instead, I will list some words describing it; scary, dangerous, hate-filled, loveless, selfish, divided, cruel, abusive, oppressive, violent, hopeless, sad, depressing, even despairing, and the list goes on and on . . .
As Christians, how do we respond? If you are like me, perhaps you have prayed, “Lord, I am only one person that doesn’t yield much influence. What can I do to help my world that feels, looks, and appears out of control?” First, that might sound like humility, but it is not. Secondly, the measurement of our influence is not for us to determine. And finally, such a prayer may sound spiritual, but it may also be a form of shirking our responsibility. And yes, we have a responsibility to the world “off the rails” and racing to destruction. Here are two.
First, we have a responsibility to confess and repent of being passive while our nation, states, towns, and neighborhoods continue to spiral downward in godlessness, immorality, and injustice. Friends, the church of Jesus Christ, His people, are the moral fiber of a society. His people are responsible to put forth and keep putting forth the salt and light of His gospel and Person (Matthew 5:13-16). And frankly, we have failed. Here is a test. How compassionately aggressive are we in sharing Christ, in Word and deed, to the people in our own neighborhoods? When is the last time we reached out to an unsaved friend, neighbor, or associate in Jesus’ name on Jesus’ mission? If it takes a while to answer, or if we cannot answer, we are ignoring our God-given responsibility in the world. Or to be blunter, we are disobeying one of the prime reasons God has left us in this world.
Our second responsibility in our world relates to today’s scripture – to walk as Jesus walked upon the earth. What the world needs to see is real Christians living out the real Christian life defined by the Bible. A people who deny themselves for others, who die to self-interests, who put on Christ every day looking to love people as He did, who do not live in a Christian sub-culture never interacting with unbelievers, who are actively and compassionately sharing the Gospel, and live with a passion to reflect His character – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – in their speech, attitudes, actions, and conduct in every situation, every relationship.
What does the world really need? A revived church showing a lost world there is a Savior; a Deliverer who has made the way to heal them and their land.
PRAYER: “Father, may I reflect Your Son with everyone I meet, every place I go, and every word I speak.”
QUOTE: “The answer to all the world’s problems is Jesus, and the answer is carried or not by His people,