As we continue our walk through 1 John, we pick up at verse 19, of chapter 3. Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John writes:
“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence. If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.”
1 John 3: 19-20
Jesus is ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ ,(John 14:6), When Father calls, and we come to Him through Christ Jesus, when we are born again and the presence of the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we want to serve Him. We want to walk in His Way. We want to be like Him. We want to serve as He did. Not because He requires us to, but because of our gratefulness to Him, and our love for Him, and the love He gives us for others through His Spirit.
In today’s passage of scripture, the Apostle writes that if our hearts – our conscience – condemns us that we are not doing enough, we are to go back to truth. The Lord is truth. We can get caught up in the flesh of “works”, and be bound by it. We can find ourselves being asked to do so much, and never being able to say no because we are told how good we are at whatever we are being asked to do, that love gets lost in the action. I plead guilty to that in the past.
In the Book of Revelation, The Resurrected Lord asked John to write to several Churches. As we read what He told John to write, He said again and again He knew they were busy, but He would tell them what was missing. He said to the Church at Ephesus, “I know your hard work, and your perseverance. Yet I have this against you: You have forsaken the the love you had at first.” Revelation 2: 2, 4. Priority issues.
If we are having conscience issues because we think we are not doing enough, we must take it to the Lord. As John wrote, “God is greater than our conscience, and He knows everything.” He will line us out to do it right. That is to do it in love, and not in guilt, or for our glory. He will lead us to get our priorities right. To seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. To pray about all things – as we start the day, and throughout the day. To take care of our families and not step over them to minister to someone else. To serve the body with our gift, always doing it in His love. To be there for the one in need that cannot help themselves as the Lord reveals that need, and provides.
Whatever we do, as we serve, let us do it in love, and in truth after we have bathed it in prayer. We shall be in His presence as we do, and He shall set our hearts at rest.
Blessings, and God’s Love upon you, and yours, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus. May you prosper and be in good health, even as your souls prosper.
Poppa B.
Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, On Line.