A KEY TO CONFIDENCE WITH GOD
1 John 3:18-23 NKJV
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
I watched a news show Sunday regarding the 343 New York firefighters who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers in 2001. It’s hard to believe it’s been 23 years, and it seems as if that attack has become a distant memory. But not for the families of the NYFD. One of the things that stood out to me was the firefighters going into the buildings, knowing they would probably not live through the day. This show interviewed some of the men and women who were there on that sad day. They spoke of the love these men and women had for their job and especially for their fellow firefighters.
That type of sacrificial love is what John is referring to when he encourages believers to live a life of love. And it’s this putting our brothers and sisters in Christ ahead of ourselves that does two important things.
Walking in this kind of love lets us know we are of the truth. With all the falseness and fakeness in our society, our hearts cry out for what is true. God is love and God is truth. When we make the effort to love as He loves, then we have confidence we are going in the right direction. And we assure our hearts before Him. The word assure means to convince or persuade. So, walking in this kind of love lets us know we are right with God.
Because when our own heart condemns us, we know that God knows everything. So, if our heart is telling us we are in the wrong, we know that God knows. But if our heart is at peace, with no sense of condemnation, then we have confidence toward God. I realize that for many who grew up in a legalistic environment condemnation comes too easily. But the more we know of the Lord and learn to follow His Spirit and His word, we recognize that God is not condemning us. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter there to help us get back in the right place. If we miss it and sin, we can confess our sins before the Lord, and He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us.
Once clean, one of the best ways to stay clean is in our dealings with others. Walking in love is always the best. Walking selfishly is not the way we want to go. And as our heart has confidence toward God, we can receive from Him so much better because we are keeping His commandments and doing those pleasing things to Him. And His commandments are not out of reach. Believe on Jesus and love one another. Doing these things gives us confidence with God.
APPLICATION
We must take love seriously, not as a feeling we have for others but as actions we take toward others. If you want to know a great picture of what this love looks like, read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. And don’t get discouraged if you feel as if you are falling short in this area. This is about growth and progress. Having a desire to please God and walk in love is a great first step. Now comes the practice. And the confidence.
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for Your example of true love. Help me to walk that way and to please You.