Feb 6: A Lifelong Commitment.

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

Shifting gears a little, after doing a series of miracles, Jesus starts pouring out some deep truths of who He is and establishes His relationship with God the Father (John 6-8). He makes many claims such as “I am the bread of life”, “I am the bread that came down from heaven”, “He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life”. To these claims, his listeners (the Jews) start challenging Jesus back and gets increasingly suspicious of His identity. But still in the middle of all this, there are many who believe in Him (John 8:30).

Believing in Jesus Christ is the first step in the right direction. Romans 10:9 says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” In John 6:29 Jesus says this when asked by the people what work they needed to do “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

But there is more. A disciple must go from believing to abiding. The word abiding means ‘lasting a long time; enduring’. To the people who believed, Jesus gave the exhortation to not stop at just believing but to continue their trust in Him and practice the things that He was asking them to do. In other words, following Jesus was a lifelong commitment. Day in and day out, during our ups and downs of life, in times of trouble and pleasure, a follower of Christ is expected to live and breathe His words. As with anything in life, it’s when the rubber hits the road, that our commitment to it gets tested. Will you cling on to Christ through the storms of life as much as the times of peace and prosperity? That is what it means to abide in Him and His words.

Yes, many of Jesus’ teachings are tough to practice. “Love your enemies”. “Pray for those who persecute you”. “If someone asks you to go one mile, go two!”, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, show the other”.  “Love one another as I have loved you”. Nobody in their human strength can do any of these things. But through patience endurance and a continuous surrendered heart to God’s Word and His will, the impossible will start becoming possible.

Where are you on your journey with Christ today? Have you put your faith in Him? Well done! But do you feel stuck and being unable to move forward? Do you find yourself falling back during times of trouble? Are you like a wave in the ocean that gets tossed to and fro when the winds of life pick up? Do not fear. God is still with you. He is faithful and steadfast, even though we aren’t all the time. Let the following words be your meditation today:

7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, (Deuteronomy 7:7-9)

God is faithful and steadfast in His relationship towards us. He is committed. Let us be like Him.