NMC Audio Podcast

It’s a great learning moment when an old, wise sage sits down in his chair and shares seasoned wisdom with the children. That’s exactly what John does in 1 John. As he comes closer to the end of his life, he wants those new in the faith to experience God’s perfect love flowing through them. He wants them to experience incredible joy. Most importantly, he desires for them to know freedom from the tyranny and pain of sin.

Who doesn’t want to be loved? There is an innate desire in all of us to be seen and known in an intimate way. Our souls crave the love of God, but there is also a need to be loved in communion with our brothers and sisters. That loving communion with brothers and sisters is what John describes as evidence that we have relationship with God. So why do we often get it so wrong?

John describes in stark contrast the present circumstances of a group of believers in Jesus. His words accentuate the pressure they face, he reminds them time is ticking away, and he encourages them to apply the truth they have accepted to their everyday life. But a choice remains. The hours of our days are not unlike theirs, and we too have the same choice—Option A or Option BE.

Abide. Remain. Dwell. Live in. Stay. Over twenty times, John writes of this idea in his short letter to the church. This state of being or concept of remaining directly connects to John 15, where Jesus also encourages his followers to stay connected to him. So, Church, what does it look like to abide, remain, dwell, live in and stay with Christ? 

The book of 1 John is a challenge and encouragement to the Church. John is reminding the Church of the sufficient work of Christ on the cross and the implications for holy living. John is encouraging the faithful followers of Christ to hold steady in the face of opposition and false teaching. We are people of light and love.

Seeking Jesus is an incredible gift from God. Along the way, it means dealing with questions and frustrations. It could even mean we will overlook Him from time to time. That’s not surprising knowing our own shortcomings. But what if it is Jesus who is being elusive? What then? Will we be motived to seek and find Him even when it is difficult?

A first-century pagan named Epictetus once wrote, “While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns for more than even outward peace.” Today, we all are still searching for that peace. Who is able to offer mankind the peace that they are seeking?

Two simultaneously stunning aspects are true of God. First, He is involved in our lives. How sweet that is! Second, we don’t automatically see His involvement. Ugh! However, as we continue seeking Jesus, we discover how God is at work. Through the snapshot of two individuals in the Scriptures, we see how God is at work in, through, and for us.

More than two thousand years ago, a baby was born in Bethlehem, and nothing has been the same since. Regardless of what you personally believe, no person has ever come close to the kind of impact that Jesus of Nazareth has had on our world. Jesus forces every single one of us to make a decision. Will you be compelled or repelled by him?

Do you ever feel like the middle has no meaning? The middle of the road trip, the middle of the line, the middle child, the middle of my education/career/life… The middle can leave us wondering, "What’s the point of all this?" The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth helps us know what to do and what to expect as we continue seeking Jesus, even in the middle.