Monday, February 16, 2004 (95)
LIFE IS FOUND IN HIS NAME. Not only the Gospel of John but the whole book is written for the purpose of the salvation of the world. Those who will believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed of the Lord are the recipients of eternal life, through His name. John 20:31 This life cannot be compared to that which is found in the Lord Jesus. Life in this world is carnal, resulting in death. The life found in the Lord is spiritual and very real, endless and eternal. It is available to all who will confess that Jesus is the Son of God. God dwelleth in him and he in God. Relationship above all relationships. The individual who obtains life through His name has the amazing privilege of becoming the house of the Most High. Astonishing, almost unbelievable but nevertheless the recorded Word of the Lord. 1 John 4:15.
AS ALWAYS, THERE ARE DIVINE REQUIREMENTS. Obedience to the Word and the Spirit of the Lord is of prime importance. There can be no presence of the Lord in the life of those who follow Him where there is disobedience. The manifestation of the Spirit will be evidenced in the life of that person who is fulfilling His will. 1 John 3:24 With the submission of the carnality of man and his subsequent freedom from the control of the flesh, room is made for the presence of the living Lord of life. His declaration is that God dwelleth in him and he in God. 1 John 4:15 We talk about heaven and the future but here is a promise for the here and now. There is no time designated only a meeting of the requirements and the promises will be fulfilled in the Christian of all generations. Not only is acknowledgment of Christ and all that He has accomplished for us necessary but a very positive key is LOVE. In order for that abiding presence to be with us there must be an unequivocal love for one another. The question is, if we love one another Inasmuch as the Lord Himself in being and character is LOVE that certainly is not and unreasonable requirement. We should strive to fulfill it with our whole being. Loving even those who may hate us and do spiteful things against us. 1 John 4:12 Dwelling with a person will cause one to take on their attitudes and even actions. How true this becomes if we are really dwelling with the person who not only emits love but is very love itself. Outside of Him there is no love. He is true, eternal love. It is impossible to be in a relationship with Him and not assimilate the nature and essence of His love. 1 John 4:16 The seal and assurance of the abiding presence of the Lord in mankind is the precious presence of the Holy Spirit. In ourselves we are incapable of living the life of Christ, but He has sent another, like Himself, into the world to lead and guide His church into all truth and to reveal Christ, not only to us but in us as well. Rom. 8:9 It is the Christ in the believer who causes the sinful nature of man to die and produces that wonderfully new life in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 8:10 It is His Spirit in us that causes our physical, mortal bodies to be quickened, brought to life, both in anointing and in healing. We are dependent on the power of the Spirit to be manifest in us that we might lives His life now. Rom. 8:11