1 John 5:1-5 (11 of 14)
Series: 1 John: Jesus Our Light and Life
Wyman Richardson
1 John 5:1-5
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
I am forever haunted by a little story Thomas Merton passed on from the desert fathers.
Abbot Lot came to Abbot Joseph and said: Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and according as I am able I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: now what more should I do? The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: Why not be totally changed into fire?
It is a mystical story, to be sure, but one that pushes against the grotesque complacency of my own life. We content ourselves with our ''little rule...little fast...prayer...meditation'' instead of truly committing ourselves to God and being totally changed into fire.
What would it take to yield oneself to God with this kind of reckless abandon? What would it take for me to do it, for you to do it, for us as a church to do it?
I would like to be totally changed into fire instead of taking sickly delight at the pitiful flickerings of my own inconsistent and half-hearted devotion. I would like to live for Jesus!
In 1 John 5, John continues his critique of the false teachers who left as well as his depiction of what the true Christian life looks like in Christ. In particular, he points to three eleme ...
Series: 1 John: Jesus Our Light and Life
Wyman Richardson
1 John 5:1-5
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
I am forever haunted by a little story Thomas Merton passed on from the desert fathers.
Abbot Lot came to Abbot Joseph and said: Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and according as I am able I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: now what more should I do? The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: Why not be totally changed into fire?
It is a mystical story, to be sure, but one that pushes against the grotesque complacency of my own life. We content ourselves with our ''little rule...little fast...prayer...meditation'' instead of truly committing ourselves to God and being totally changed into fire.
What would it take to yield oneself to God with this kind of reckless abandon? What would it take for me to do it, for you to do it, for us as a church to do it?
I would like to be totally changed into fire instead of taking sickly delight at the pitiful flickerings of my own inconsistent and half-hearted devotion. I would like to live for Jesus!
In 1 John 5, John continues his critique of the false teachers who left as well as his depiction of what the true Christian life looks like in Christ. In particular, he points to three eleme ...
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