1 John 2:3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
As I wrote in my last blog about the light giving us direction in our lives, we live in that light and new way of thinking will come into focus. This new way of thinking is like a book that is being written as we grow in our relationship with Jesus. By the way, scripture says Jesus is the author and perfecter of that book of our faith. Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;(KJV) The author, or pioneer of our faith as many translations interpret this verse is Jesus himself. So when John penned these verses it was clear that this life is centered around what Jesus would do in the situations of life. Thus WWJD is the standard by which we live our faith and we find out what Jesus would do by reading the Word of God, which is Jesus. 1 John 1:1 shows this very truth to be correct where it says 1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. Jesus.
For years I did not put this together in my limited way of looking at scripture, but this truly is a revelation that is a game-changer for me and I hope for you too. In Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus states that He did not come to abolish the law, but perfect it. So there is a strong relationship between the ten commandments and the life of a believer. The righteous life we are to live does not come from us, but from Jesus, the Author. So when we say "What Would Jesus Do" we know it lines up with what God has always said, but the power to live that life comes from Jesus Himself. The life of a believer is powered by the one Jesus said would come after He went to heaven and that person is the Holy Spirit. The very conviction we experience when we sin comes from the Holy Spirit, so the direction for living in that righteousness that comes from Jesus is led by God's Word, which is Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, who is in our lives. Wow. That is really getting pretty deep for some, but there is so much more depth available if we will just ask for it.
Getting back to living the life of a true believer brings to mind one of the verses in the above scripture in 1 John 1.5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. We have been empowered to live our lives as Jesus did and the continued deepening of our walk with Him through His Word will give us the direction and decision-making skills to live out that life of righteousness. Our righteousness is not worth anything as Isaiah wrote in 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. But the righteousness that comes from Jesus is pure and undefiled and true and lasting. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:30 30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
It is one thing to say What Would Jesus Do, and yet another thing to live our lives that way
The Pilgrimage continues....
David Warren
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