Meditation for Monday
But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. 1 John 2:5
How do you identify Christians in the people you find yourself among during your day? As Christians, it is within us to seek out other believers and enjoy fellowship with them wherever we are. Whether it is in a store or shopping mall, or at a community event, or while visiting a park or a public attraction, we look around to see if we can recognize any Christians. But how can you tell who they are? Do you listen to their speech, monitor their behaviour, or check out how they are dressed? And what do you think other Christians might be looking at you to see, to determine if you are a fellow believer? Actually, it’s really hard to tell for sure. But our text tells us of one certain way to identify a true Christian.
The proof that we are in Christ, says our text, is the love of God that is displayed in our lives. And that happens, says our text, when we keep His Word. A disobedient Christian is difficult to tell from an unbeliever. A person who lies, steals, and uses the common potty talk of everybody else would never cause you to wonder if they might be a believer. Neither would somebody who was wearing body-revealing indecent clothing or listening to music heavily laced with profanities and sexual references. Such people are clearly disobeying the Word of God in its instruction that we keep ourselves untainted from the world’s filth. A mark of a believe is the desire to be obedient to their Lord. If there is no such desire, that person is unlikely to be a true possesser of divine life.
An obedient Christian does what our Lord desires of us. And what does our Lord desire? He gave us a commandment, that we love one another (John 13:34). So if we are obedient to the Word of God, we will love our fellow believers, and display that love in deeds of kindness, in kindly consideration, in tender compassion, and in generous giving. Remember that love that is not shared is love that is denied. But obedience to the Word also requires that we love those around us who need the Gospel. By displaying the love of Christ, we witness for our Lord.
The word ‘perfected’ in our text refers to maturity in our display of the love of God. We grow into this maturity by obeying His Word and displaying His love. And we will be identifiable as Christians. – Jim MacIntosh