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My God is…abiding in me 1 John 4:13-21

1 John 4:13-21 – By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.

What does it mean to abide? In my mind, it meant to live in, take up residence. Let’s look at the definition for a minute:

Definition of ABIDE

intransitive verb

1: to remain stable or fixed in a state

2: to continue in a place : sojourn

Ok, so if God is remaining stable in us and we, who confess that Jesus, is the Son of God remain stable in God, let’s get a clearer idea of what it means to be stable.

Definition of STABLE

1a : firmly established : fixed, steadfast <stable opinions>

b : not changing or fluctuating : unvarying <in stablecondition>

c : permanent, enduring <stable civilizations>

2a : steady in purpose : firm in resolution

b : not subject to insecurity or emotional illness : sane,rational <a stable personality>

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

Looking at this portion of the verse helps me to see how God abiding in me in love casts out fear. We don’t have to be insecure because God abides in us. He loves us. We’re not afraid of God’s punishment, but when we abide in Him in love, we’re empowered to do His will and more than we ever thought possible. Now I know that on this side of heaven I will never perfect the art of being fear-free, but as I live in God’s love, spending time getting to know Him better through prayers, reading scripture and meditating, I become less fearful. I know that it is not I who am in charge of the results, but God. I don’t have to fear because God is in control. I’m not afraid of punishment because Jesus already took my punishment for me. Now I live in the freedom from fear that is given to me in the love God showed by sending Jesus.

We love because he first loved us.

What are you most afraid of? For me it’s rejection, but I know that there is one who will never reject me. God abides in me. He’s always with me, never rejecting me. Because of that love, I no longer have to fear rejection of others, because I know that He is in me. He abides in me. I can love freely because of the unconditional, eternal love of my Father in Heaven. I don’t have to be insecure anymore. I have the security of God in me; God abiding in me; God remaining faithfully in me. I have to remember whose I am. I belong to the one who is in me, my God.

Where are you abiding?

Sometimes we unwittingly separate ourselves from God. We spend time doing other things rather than reading His word, going to church or talking with Him. We don’t always remain faithful. We don’t always show love to others. We don’t always do the right thing. Why don’t we? Because we’re not abiding in God. We’re putting ourselves in God’s place. We’re focusing on the wrong things; money, success, beauty, ourselves. All of these things are good, but not when they get in the way of our relationship with God. If you find yourself in denial of God (by your words or actions), I beg you to reinvest yourself in God. Dig into the scriptures, pray or go to church. Surround yourself with others who are focused on Christ. To abide is a verb. It’s an action. Live as one redeemed. Abide in Him!

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.

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Posted by Jill Richard on January 14, 2014 in 1 John, my god is abiding in me

Tags: abide in him, abide in him and he in us, abiding, given us his spirit, my god is abiding in me, redeemed, testify

My God is…Invisible 1 Timothy 1:17

29 Apr

1 Timothy 1:17 – To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

How can I believe in something I can’t see?

Do you believe that there is oxygen in the air? Do you believe in love? Sometimes we get bogged down by the fact that we can’t see our God. We want Him to be standing right there in front of us. We don’t like that we can’t point to Him in a room and say – right there, that’s Him, that’s my God.

But Jesus is God and you could see him – how is God invisible?

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. Jesus came to earth, true man and true God. While He was here on earth, He didn’t reveal His full Godly self, but instead humbled himself to become a servant that would sacrifice himself for us.

How do we have faith in what is not seen?

Why do you believe? I think it’s for the same reasons you believe in oxygen, love, hate, and family. Because we see evidence. There are things all around us that give evidence to the Lord. Scripture is a big one of those. It is in God’s word that we learn most clearly what the Lord wants to tell us. Other things too give testimony to God. The endurance of His story is part of the testimony. Many other gods have fallen in the wake of God’s story. In our own lives many of us have examples of unexplained miracles that can only be chalked up to being from God. Creation as well gives evidence of God and who He is.

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

When Jesus had shown Himself to the disciples, Thomas wasn’t there. He didn’t believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. He was living within the science He knew to be true. No one could come back to life after being killed on the cross. He said he would only believe that Jesus had risen if he saw it with his own two eyes. Then Thomas did see Jesus again, and he did believe. Jesus said those of us who have not seen and yet believe are blessed. It isn’t always easy to remain faithful to something we don’t see, but the Holy Spirit is at work in our heart showing us the evidence, reminding us of what the Lord has done, both in ancient times and in our own lives right now.

Giving Glory to God

In our own lives we give a testimony to God. Every time we react in a Christian manner, we’re giving testimony to God. When we don’t hold grudges, even though we’re in the right, people will wonder what is the source of our strength and we can bear witness to God, our redeemer. When we are facing life changing ailments and yet remain unshaken, people will want to know what makes us strong. It’s God! When our spouse cheats on us and we’re able to forgive them, people will wonder how we could behave so unusually, and it is our opportunity to give God the glory, to testify to the one who allows us to live in the freedom of forgiveness. God is good. God is invisible. God is real. We are blessed to be able to give God glory in all we do. We are blessed to be part of the testimony that points people back to God.

Are you going to testify?

My God is…Testifying John 3:33

28 Sep

John 3:33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.

John the Baptist denies he is the Messiah

In John 3 we see John the Baptist telling his followers that he is not the Messiah. They had been getting worked up, because John the Baptist was losing his followers to Jesus. It was important that he make sure they understood who Jesus was, and the verse above is solidifying that idea. “Whoever receives his (Jesus’) testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.”

Testify Brother!

Why do we want people to testify? Why do we need it? If two kids are yelling in the other room, you call them in and ask, “what happened?” You want to hear their testimony. Sometimes their stories don’t match, so you call in someone else who was in the room and ask what they know. Why? Because you want to get to the truth. You want to know what you’ve heard is reliable.

Doubt it!

I don’t know about you, but I go through times in my life when my faith is not as strong. I have even been known to have moments where the devil gets into my head and makes me think, “Jill, Isn’t all this Christian stuff hogwash?” Then I might think to myself, “Is it?”. No it isn’t Hogwash, and I’ll tell you the testimonies that I trust.

Scripture

In John 5 we hear Jesus telling us about the testimonies we can trust. One is the scripture. In scriptures, we hear testimonies about our Lord. Jesus says in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me”. The scriptures bear witness to who Jesus is, both Old and New testament.

John the Baptist Testifies

Have you ever been to one of those churches? The kind where the pastor is so compelling you’re pretty sure he could talk you into almost anything short of drinking the Kool-Aid? The kind of preacher who you know in your heart is telling the truth and the Holy Spirit is working through His words. This is how John the Baptist was to His followers. They were sure his words were true, so it meant a lot when he pointed these loyal followers to follow Jesus. He was humble enough to know that Jesus was more important, and that for their sake he must testify to the Truth. In John 5:33 Jesus says, “You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.”

God Testifies

John 5:37 says, “And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.” When Jesus was baptized, God was testifying. The Father and the Holy Spirit were present. Matthew 3:16-17 God the father speaks about who Jesus is, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold,the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Actions sometimes speak louder than words

Jesus’ actions, miracles, signs and wonders all pointed to Him as our Messiah, our savior. In John 5:36 Jesus says, “For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.” I find the more I pay attention to the miracles and blessings around me, the more I see (like when you buy a car, suddenly there are more of them on the road). I become more aware of my Lord at work in the world around me, and in my life.

Personal Testimonies

All of these ways to know Jesus as the truth are amazing, but one that I truly cherish is being able to hear the personal testimonies of other believers. God is still at work among us and that is a wonderful, faith building thing.

Don’t Neglect this Salvation! Hebrews 2:1-4, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Testify! Have you been called to be a witness?