Day 119: Birthmarks of a Christian
Read: 1 John 5:1 - 12
For today's devotion I am going to continue with expanding on the
thought that was begun yesterday. That thought centered on those
"Miraculous Ah Ha Moments" when our lives suddenly become transformed
through the revelation of truths we had been not fully conscious, slow
to learn of or were unwilling to acknowledge, accept or fully grasp the
significance of. I am going to do a little reaching out into the real
world and say that we have all been in a time and at a place where we have wondered "where on earth have I been?," "why did it take so long for me to realize that
...?" "I should have known about ... but I did not want to believe it."
"I so wish I had done it sooner." "What if I ...."
Very few of us learn
important things upon first exposure, and even fewer learn to
communicate clearly what we have heard only once. If I were to ask you
today, what are the marks of a true Christian, I suspect that only a
handful of us would be able to list them confidently. Please note that
I'm not talking about how one person becomes a Christian but what a
Christian looks like. Being able to list the birthmarks of a true
Christian allows you to know whether or not the people you meet who
choose to call themselves Christians are misrepresenting themselves or
not. Just as important, you will know whether you are truly a Christian,
who is destined for eternal life with God or need to really know more.
In John’s record of
Jesus’ life, John 3:1-8, a Jewish teacher, named Nicodemus, has asked
Jesus about spiritual matters, and Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth,
no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." And John
lists four marks of one who is born OF God. These birthmarks can be
summarized using the acrostics, B.L.O.W., as in the Spirit of God
blowing life into us. Let’s look at each birthmark. The B in BLOW
stands for Believe that Jesus is the Christ. We see this in verse 1a.
The evidence of being born of God is belief that Jesus is the Christ,
that is God’s chosen Savior of their lives. Personal belief in a God
beyond us is difficult but not impossible. Golden calves, buried treasure don't count as a belief in a 'god' beyond ourselves.
the L stands for
Love other Christians as family members. We see this in verses 1b and 2.
Jesus said to his disciples in John 13:35 "By this all men will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another." This is not about
one Christian loving another another Christian. It is love for all
whether believers or not. The O stands for Obey God’s commands out of
love for God and neighbors. We see this in verse 3. If I really love
you, and if I really love God, then love is no burden. True love is not
trouble free, but neither is true love troublesome, because the one we love is worth the trouble. W is Win in life and in death. We see this in verses 4 and 5. Live as if life is already won (1 Corinthians 15:51 - 58) Amen.
Let Us Pray: Come Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your Love. Send forth Your Spirit and
they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Oh
God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructed the hearts of the
faithful, Grant, that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever
rejoice in His consolation. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
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Read: 1 John 5:1 - 12
For today's devotion I am going to continue with expanding on the thought that was begun yesterday. That thought centered on those "Miraculous Ah Ha Moments" when our lives suddenly become transformed through the revelation of truths we had been not fully conscious, slow to learn of or were unwilling to acknowledge, accept or fully grasp the significance of. I am going to do a little reaching out into the real world and say that we have all been in a time and at a place where we have wondered "where on earth have I been?," "why did it take so long for me to realize that ...?" "I should have known about ... but I did not want to believe it." "I so wish I had done it sooner." "What if I ...."
Very few of us learn important things upon first exposure, and even fewer learn to communicate clearly what we have heard only once. If I were to ask you today, what are the marks of a true Christian, I suspect that only a handful of us would be able to list them confidently. Please note that I'm not talking about how one person becomes a Christian but what a Christian looks like. Being able to list the birthmarks of a true Christian allows you to know whether or not the people you meet who choose to call themselves Christians are misrepresenting themselves or not. Just as important, you will know whether you are truly a Christian, who is destined for eternal life with God or need to really know more.
In John’s record of Jesus’ life, John 3:1-8, a Jewish teacher, named Nicodemus, has asked Jesus about spiritual matters, and Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." And John lists four marks of one who is born OF God. These birthmarks can be summarized using the acrostics, B.L.O.W., as in the Spirit of God blowing life into us. Let’s look at each birthmark. The B in BLOW stands for Believe that Jesus is the Christ. We see this in verse 1a. The evidence of being born of God is belief that Jesus is the Christ, that is God’s chosen Savior of their lives. Personal belief in a God beyond us is difficult but not impossible. Golden calves, buried treasure don't count as a belief in a 'god' beyond ourselves.
the L stands for Love other Christians as family members. We see this in verses 1b and 2. Jesus said to his disciples in John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." This is not about one Christian loving another another Christian. It is love for all whether believers or not. The O stands for Obey God’s commands out of love for God and neighbors. We see this in verse 3. If I really love you, and if I really love God, then love is no burden. True love is not trouble free, but neither is true love troublesome, because the one we love is worth the trouble. W is Win in life and in death. We see this in verses 4 and 5. Live as if life is already won (1 Corinthians 15:51 - 58) Amen.
Let Us Pray: Come Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructed the hearts of the faithful, Grant, that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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