Last night a friend called me and told me of the struggle they were going through. My response was simply this: ‘Hold on; don’t rush ahead with your thoughts; abide in Christ; remain in Him; wait; stay.”
Maybe you are storm-tossed today just as John’s people were. The Church were being attacked from within by deceptive teachers and from outside by the ongoing persecution. John continues his call to remain in Christ:
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3: 1-3)
This morning, whatever the circumstance, remain in Christ and that is to:
- To know/experience the Father’s extravagant love. It outweighs everything we could ever experience. See what great love the Father has lavished on us.
- To be secured in my identity of what the Father calls me … His child. He calls me this. He gives this title to me. that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
- To willingly pay the cost that the world I am in will be out of sync with me. They will not understand me or know me because they do not know who I know. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
- To not give up. We are a work in progress. It is not over. we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is
- To get ready for the coming of Jesus by doing what we can to be like Him today. purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Missions Paul 