BIBLE PASSAGE:
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his
commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not
do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that
person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly
made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
(1 John 2:3-6)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever heard a person refer to someone else as a ‘good friend’
of theirs, but you find out later that they only know the person casually?
Some want to impress others by claiming they are ‘good friends’ with a
certain individual. Some may have met a person one time and now claim
he or she is a ‘good friend’ of theirs. There is a huge difference between
‘knowing someone’ and being their ‘good friend’.
Many of us know a lot of people (including some who don’t even know us),
but that doesn’t mean we are ‘good friends’ with them. When we are good
friends with someone, we usually know a lot about them (their likes and
dislikes, how they interact with others, etc.).
If we claim that Jesus is a good friend of ours, then we should know
more about Him, right? We should know His likes and dislikes, how
He interacted with others, etc. The scriptures tell us that if we know
(and love) Him, ‘we will keep (obey) His commands’. The scriptures
tell us that if we are disobedient, then we are lying when we say we
know Him.
There are a couple of things to consider when it comes to obedience.
We know that there will be times when, even though we don’t want
to disobey Him, we will sin. Of course, it disappoints us when we fail
to obey His commands, but there are some who habitually disobey
Him and according to God’s Word, they do not know Him.
The second consideration is, disobedience means doing the things
He has said we should not do, but it also includes not doing what
He commands us to do. There are some things God wants us to do,
including being a part of His ministry team. For us to do that, we
need to identify the spiritual gift He gave us when we were saved.
He wants us to be good representatives of Him if we claim to know Him.
He tells us in His Word to ‘forsake not the assembling of ourselves together’.
In other words, He expects us to worship with other believers, but some
have chosen to replace worship with other things they prefer to do. God’s
Word calls this disobedience.
There are times when we will be unable to attend due to an illness,
work obligations, medical conditions or risks, etc. However, there
is a growing number of folks who claim to know Him, and yet they
seldom obey His command to worship with others.
The numbers are staggering! According to a survey from years ago,
only 17% of those who claim to know Him, worship on a regular basis.
When we read 1 John 2:3-6, we can surmise that 83% are not telling the
truth when they say they know Him. More than likely the percentage is
even higher now since the survey was taken many years ago.
We are also told that if we know Him, we must ‘live as Jesus did’, and
worship was an important part of His lifestyle, so it should be high on
our priority list too, right? If we don’t know Jesus, then how can we
expect to interact with others as He did. Instead, we will find ourselves
living selfishly instead of attending to the needs of others like He did.
ACTION:
We should ask ourselves these questions:
– Do I know Jesus?
– If I was asked to prove it in a court of law, would I have enough
evidence to show I know Him (based on the Bible’s qualifications
for knowing Him)?
– Are there any of His commands that I habitually disobey?
– Should I make some changes so I can be more obedient?
– Am I guilty of claiming to know Jesus (and other people) when
I really don’t? Lying about being good friends with someone is
bad, but when it is Jesus, the eternal consequences are something
none of us want to face at the end of life’s journey (when it is too
late to correct).
– Do I interact with others as Jesus did?
– How often do I check on others who may be sick or have other issues?
– How often do I go out of my way to do something for no other reason
than to show a friend I care about them?
– How often do I check to see if a friend has something going on in
their life that I can pray about?
– Do others check on me more than I check on them?
Jesus was more concerned about others than He was about Himself.
Although He was busy about God’s work, He took the time to listen
to the needs of others. He also asked questions to show His concern
for them. He didn’t spend time telling them about Himself, except
for the things God expected of Him as He walked among us.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I regret the times whenever I fail to obey
You, because I know it damages my relationship with You. I
want to fully know You and live as Jesus did. Forgive me for
my failures (sins) and call my attention to the areas of my life
that need to be changed, so that I will not be a liar when I say
I know You.”
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