Three Days - Pt 1

Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:7-10 ESV).

Just three days until Christmas… it always seems to sneak up on me. AS I began to think of a direction to take in these three days, it occurred to me that we often talk about the “gifts” we exchange, but rarely do we understand the depth of the gift we have received in the birth of Jesus. So, for the next three days I will examine just three of those. The first is a clear purpose for living. If the Son of God came to help you stop sinning, to destroy the works of the devil and if he also came to die so that, when you do sin, there is a propitiation, a removal of God’s wrath, then what does this imply for living your life? It implies that you have a clear purpose for living. Negatively, it is simply this: don’t sin — don’t do what dishonors God. “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin” (cf. 1 John 2:1). “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (cf. 1 John 3:8). If you ask, “Can you give us that positively, instead of negatively?” the answer is: Yes, it’s all summed following our reading today. John summarizes it well when he writes: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us” (1 John 3:23). These two things are so closely connected for John he calls them one commandment: believe Jesus and love others. That is your purpose. That is the sum of the Christian life. Trusting Jesus, loving people the way Jesus and his apostles taught us to love. Trust Jesus, love people. The wonder of that simple principle is in the truth that when we have a clear purpose we can then act on reaching that purpose. I find that as my intention is clear I feel much more in “control.” That feeling is rooted in the knowledge of a clear desire of God for my life. Anxiety is replaced with peace, and uncertainty is replaced with calm resolution and commitment. We have been given the gift of the power to accomplish this desire in our lives. Of course, I am not calling us to perfect behavior. Rather I am saying that the birth of Jesus is the first step in God establishing in us His power to become perfect. That’s an incredible gift!