Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Yesterday, we began to consider I John 5:18: “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not [does not practice persistent sin], but He [Jesus] keepeth himself [the believer], and that wicked one [Satan] toucheth him [the believer] not.” Jesus, speaking to us through His Word, does not duck the hard question suggested by this verse: Does it really matter how we live? It is far too easy to slip into a form of fatalism and think that one small life is insignificant. This verse refutes that concept by establishing a high standard of behavior; how we live clearly matters to our Savior. Jesus reassures us that Satan cannot have us as his own (“that wicked one toucheth him not”) but can do real harm. Satan lies (John 8:44 – “He is a liar, and the father of it”), inflicts suffering (II Corinthians 12:7 – “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan” in Paul’s life), and promotes pride (I Chronicles 21:1 – Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel”). Thus, when we sin, we are not availing ourselves of the power of God but instead are letting Satan have an impact on us that is bad for us and for our testimony before others. We can and should live differently as Christians; our behavior matters so much to God that He places His nature in us. No one can therefore reasonably suggest that our lives are little or insignificant. No, the impartation of the divine nature of Jesus into us confirms that He places an extraordinarily high value on how we live.