“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” – 1 John 2:1

This verse perfectly encapsulates the lifelong challenge and abundant grace of the Christian life. All those who have been saved as a gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ are called to live holy lives of genuine, heartfelt obedience to the commands of Jesus. As a new creation in Christ, you have the power to not sin. The power to choose joyful obedience over sinful disobedience. The Holy Spirit lives in you and you have the power to crucify your flesh’s sinful desires. It is expected of Christ-followers that we exert serious effort to living a life that pleases God. And so, John wrote this letter to encourage exactly that, challenging every believer to pursue holiness and resist sinful temptation.

And yet… we all stumble and fall into sin from time to time. None of us will be completely perfect on earth until Jesus returns. So, John makes clear that there is always abundant grace available when we do stumble back into sin. When we sin, we aren’t rejected by God. We aren’t renounced by Jesus. We aren’t abandoned by the Holy Spirit. No! To the contrary, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, the Father invites us to confess our sins and turn away from them, and Jesus intercedes on our behalf when we do. Because Jesus already paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, when He speaks up as our Advocate, we KNOW our latest sins are just as fully forgiven as our previous ones.

This isn’t God’s permission to live a sinful life, continuously presuming upon His grace. Far from it. John makes clear in other verses that if that’s our mindset, we most likely aren’t actually saved and forgiven in the first place. This is the tension of life in a fallen world after we becoming new creation in Christ. We are holy in God’s eyes and empowered and commanded to live holy lives. However, when we fail, we must not believe the devil’s lies and live defeated, guilt-ridden lives. Instead, we simply need to turn back to our Advocate, our Lord, our Savior and #FollowJesus

“The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us” – 1 John 1:2

To be made manifest is to be made visible. The point John emphasizes in the first verses of this letter is simply this: he and the other Apostles saw the earthly life of Jesus, the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. They saw Him in His earthly body and in the eternal glory He revealed to them on the mount of transfiguration. What they write in their letters and gospels is their eyewitness testimony about these events, teachings, and truths. What we read in the Bible is trustworthy and true. The good news of salvation and eternal life given as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ is trustworthy and true.

Since the Bible is God’s trustworthy, true, eyewitness account of the most important things in the history of the universe, the logical question is this…. how much time and energy are you putting into reading these accounts from the apostles and prophets? Are you reading, studying, and reflecting on Scripture every day? How does your time and energy spent reading, listening to, and thinking about the Bible compare to the other things you read, watch, listen to, and think about each day? Are you hungry to read and hear what God has revealed to us about Himself, His salvation, His will, His plans, and His ways?

If you aren’t already in the habit of reading (or listening) to the Bible daily, get started today. There are plenty of simple Bible reading plans available online but you could just start with Matthew chapter 1 and read one chapter every day. You’ll get through the New Testament in a mere 9 months. Read and be changed by God’s Word, it will certainly help you #FollowJesus

“Waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” – 2 Peter 3:12

As followers of Jesus, we should be both patiently and eagerly anticipating the day of the Lord. Jesus will return and all of creation will be renewed. The corruption, sin, and evil of this world will be burned away like the impurities in metals and the earth will be renewed. We will enjoy unhindered fellowship with God as His visible presence dwells among us. There will be no pain, no suffering, no mourning, no sin, and no curse upon anything.

If Jesus is your Lord, He doesn’t want you to fear that day but to look forward to it. He doesn’t want you hiding in terror from this future but living for it. He calls us to imitate Him, loving God and neighbor like Him until that day dawns. But we’re also invited to hasten that day. To hurry it along. Did you realize that you have that ability? That responsibility? You do!!!

It’s something to really marvel at… you can help speed the coming of the Lord’s return! How? The surrounding verses make it clear. Ordinary Christians hasten the day of Jesus’ return by sharing the gospel with other people. As we give people from every tribe, ethnic group, and nation the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and respond in faith, we accelerate the return of Jesus. If every Christian and every church took this responsibility seriously, think how much sooner Jesus would return and evil would depart forever!

What can you do to introduce others to Jesus? What can you do to learn about and pray for missionaries and evangelists in the world? To fund the work of those taking the gospel to the most remote parts of the earth? To encourage and welcome those who return? To meet people from difficult to reach groups when they move into your neighborhood? Understand that what you do in obedience of Christ’s command to make disciples helps speed His glorious return! #FollowJesus

“You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
– Psalm 73:24-26

In this psalm, the writer wrestles with a common question asked across the ages by God’s people – why do ungodly people often seem to prosper? Is God unaware? Is God unjust? Is there even a reason to bother being faithful and obedient to God’s teachings? Then, the psalmist goes to the temple and comes to understand the invisible spiritual reality of our world…

God is always with His people. He is our greatest blessing. Not money. Not power. Not health. Not status. Not influence. Not family. God. His presence, love, strength, and grace are wealth beyond measure. He wants us to understand and truly experience our extraordinary present reality in Him and our glorious eternal future with Him. Then we can be satisfied in the Lord, today and every day. As the psalmist celebrates, God gives wise advice, instruction, and direction to His people through the Bible and His Holy Spirit. He strengthens and sustains us during good times and bad here on earth. Knowing the Lord is our ultimate satisfaction, peace, and joy as we walk the earth. And then…. God welcomes us into Heaven when we pass away. He receives us into glory that will never end. He Himself is our inheritance forever and that inheritance is a joy so infinite we can’t even begin to imagine it.

If you find yourself struggling with the same question the psalmist was… with frustration over the obvious prosperity of the ungodly elites in our world… with dissatisfaction over your own situation in the world…. Remember the lesson of the psalmist and look to the Lord. Not to change your earthly situation but to be your greatest treasure. Draw near to God in prayer, worship, meditation, devotion, and service. Truly seek God and embrace His love for you, His comfort for you, His grace for you, His mercy for you, and His peace for you. #FollowJesus

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:8

If you’re genuinely saved from your sins by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then your salvation is 100% secure. You’re an adopted and sealed child of God and the devil can’t touch that! That’s the good news. The bad news is that with your salvation secure, you can still be utterly ineffective and unfruitful as a follower of Jesus. Far too many Christians are and that’s the devil’s top priority for any genuine child of God. That’s probably his top priority for you!

How can you protect yourself from this? The verses before this one list a number of qualities Christians should actively develop in their lives with God’s help. They include knowledge, virtue, godliness, self-control, steadfastness, brotherly affection, and love. These won’t come to you automatically. You have to work for them in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To be more effective and more fruitful, choose to be intentional about growing your knowledge of the Lord – both in your spiritual experiences and through intentional, daily study of the Bible. Develop virtue and godliness – reject sin in your life and work to imitate Jesus. Deepen your prayer life, worship habits, and meditation on Scripture. Self-control comes from the Holy Spirit over time as you refuse to give into the things that tempt your flesh and instead walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

Steadfastness comes as you endure hard trials in life and discover the comfort and profound certainty that Jesus is walking with you through them, sustaining and transforming you through them. Brotherly affection is your intentional choice to love, spend time with, and experience life with fellow believers in deep friendship and community. Most of the time you’ll need to do the hard work of seeking that out – it rarely happens by accident in our individualistic society. And then there’s love, Christlike, sacrificial love, even for those who may be difficult to love.

Developing these qualities isn’t easy. There is some pain in the process. They require discipline in how you use your time and energy. The choices you make day by day and moment by moment influence whether you are growing in them or not. As you increasingly make godly choices and develop these qualities, you’ll discover that you have more and more impact on the world for God’s glory and Christ’s Kingdom. You won’t need to worry about being ineffective or unfruitful because God will work powerfully through you. You will enjoy the purpose for which you were created as you faithfully #FollowJesus