John 3:21 AMPC
[21] But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are–wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him].
As we have seen over the past few days, the importance of the gift of salvation cannot be overemphasized. The journey to the fulfilment of God's purpose cannot effectively start until God is discovered and personalised. How can I truly fulfill God's purpose for my life if He is not in charge of my life's pursuits and priorities? What makes it even more complex is when I am right in the midst of the spiritual activities of fellowship, prayers and bible study. It is easy to get caught up in activities and events, and not really have a personal encounter with the person who matters most, and this is the person of Jesus Himself. He is the One who holds all things together, and it is His will that everyone comes to the saving knowledge of Him, so that He can really express Himself in and through that life. I must not settle for anything less than God's best for me. This is just a bit of the story of the man at the centre of the verse above.
His name was Nicodemus. He was a teacher of the law and quite prominent in his day. He knew the letter of the law, and could probably recite them all by heart. However, as is the custom with the men of the world, it is not enough to know the letter of the law; it is equally important to know the Source that has inspired the law and the eternal purpose behind the law. In Jesus' day, the teachers of the law, as well as the Pharisees and Sadducees had become the law themselves. They focused so much on the written laws of Moses, and completely forgot about the purpose behind those laws in the first place. No wonder they all missed the time of God's visitation, when He sent His Son into the world to fulfil the law and to bring down the life of God into the lives of men. The same too was applicable to this man Nicodemus, until He had an encounter with the One called the Way, the Truth and the Life. We all need this personal experience too, because it is the only pathway to the fullness of the experience that God wants us to have.
That is what the verse above makes clear: in order to do the Truth, I must know the Truth. It is not what can be forced on anyone. The person who knows the Truth is not afraid of the light, because there is no shame in the truth. The person who knows the truth is proud to speak about it, because that is one of the ways by which the scope and reach of the truth can be further expanded. The Truth is the person of Jesus Himself, so you cannot hold a position that is not in line with the person and principles of Jesus, and still claim to know the truth. Nicodemus would come to Jesus at night, maybe because he was afraid of the views of his contemporaries, but when he had come to a personal encounter with this same Jesus, he would be present at the crucifixion of Jesus, and helping with myrrh and aloes, to prepare the body for burial. The secret disciple had become a public witness to the power of Jesus to change any life. The empowerment to live by the truth comes from the Truth. Do you know Him? Has He met you? God's time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment