Belief… belief in Him, this is why Jesus came. On almost every page of John there are comments about those who believe or do not believe Jesus. It seems so very clear that this is why John is writing… to invite people to believe.
Five times in this chapter alone John uses the word ‘believe’ and this doesn’t take into account other phrases that suggest the same idea… (draw people to myself -v32; whoever serves me must follow me -v26; gone after him -v19; and so on).
As I sit stilling my mind on the day before worship, I find myself thinking about believing in Jesus. Absolutely it means the mental ascent of Jesus, belief that He lived, taught, rose from the dead, etc. But it seems as if belief is more than that too. Part of belief is to orient ones’ life around what one believes.
For me this means that believing in Jesus means doing the things He commands. Things like:
· Love, forgive, care for one another;
· Spreading His name, lifting Him up so others see a glimpse of Jesus in me and are drawn to Him and believe in Him,
· Supporting His church financially and with my time and talents,
· Growing in my understanding of Him, what He has taught and who I should become because I believe in Him and then orienting my life around these things I learn and believe…
As I prepare for today and for worship tomorrow, I dwell on these, asking myself, “How am I doing in my Loving, Spreading, Supporting, and Growing in Jesus?
How about you?
Lord, Jesus, as I step into the activities of today. help me to see places in which I can love, spread, support and grow. In Your name, I pray. Amen.
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