We Know!

We know!

1 John 3:16 AMPC

[16] By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him].

Read the loaded introduction of the letter from where the verse above is taken: WE ARE writing about the Word of Life [in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands. Please note the highlighted words. John was not speaking from a place of hearsay or rumours; he had come to a place of personal experience and encounter with the One called the Word of Life, and he could speak boldly about the One who had changed his life. This is where we start: the place of personal conviction is the launching pad for exploits. Men and women in the Bible faced certain death and loss, but did not mind what they lost, because they knew that they had something better waiting for them at the end of those experiences. 

What could make three Hebrew boys, in a strange land, stand up for their convictions, if they did not know who they believed? How could the apostles, and the early church, of which John was one, dare stand up to rulers and authorities of their days, if they did not know someone or something that was bigger and more powerful than the men they could see? For us today, we are encouraged to seek to know God intimately, the way John and his contemporaries knew Him. From the example of the life of Jesus, we find the template for how to live life to the fullest. We find amazing examples of love that the world cannot fully understand or explain. We read these stories, and can only ask God for grace to internalise the lessons, so that we can really know how to show it other people. This is where my personal conviction must match up with my public profession. 

What is the value of a precious gift given to me to also pass on to other people, if I then sit on it, and refuse to share or extend it to other people? What is the use of knowledge, if it does not lead to good for other people? That is also the message in the verse above: if I know the value of what I have and who I know, I will be quick to share with others. Love is not so much in the words, but in the a actions that prove it. Words are cheap; it is by my actions and interactions that I prove that the love of God is in me. Constant exposure gives me a deeper knowledge of who Christ is and what He has done. It will not happen overnight, but God makes the journey worth it. My prayer is that the love of God for me will help me see other people through His eyes. As I live the life He has given me, may His love draw others to Him. He has done His bit; how do you respond? God's time of favour is here.