To Walk As Jesus Did...

1 John 2:3 - 6

 

 ³ "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.

⁴ The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

⁵ But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him.

This is how we know we are in Him:

⁶ Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did."

 

In order to really be in relationship with God, to truly KNOW Him, I must walk in obedience to the Lord's commands. From the verses above, it seems clear that it is one thing to SAY that I know God, but an entirely different thing to LIVE as though I know God. The question I feel I must answer when I read these verses is this:

 

Do I Want To Know The Lord, or is it enough for me to just say that I know Him?

  

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Years ago, as I read my daily devotional in the morning, I was required to read one simple verse. It was John 14:15, where Jesus says:

 

       "If you love Me, you will obey what I command."

 

Over the course of the next few days, the devotional was focused on learning to live in obedience to God out of love for Him. Although it was a difficult process for me (I had been holding back a few areas of my life that were not fully submitted to the Lord, areas in which I could see I was showing disobedience), it was also life changing! As I thought about obedience being the evidence that we know God, and that we love Him, I felt God opening up my heart to receive what His Word was saying about obedience. Some other Scriptures were used in those devotions... John 14:21 says:

 

"Whoever has My commands and obeys them,

he is the one who loves Me.

 

Verses 23 and 24 of that same chapter say:

 

"If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching...

He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching."

 



The words that Jesus spoke were very clear. I knew that I was at a point where I had to make a choice. I could choose to let go of my sin and submit in obedience to the Lord out of love for Him, or, I could ignore or reject these verses of Scripture, holding on to the sins of my choice, and keep 'lying' with my mouth as I professed my love for the Lord. Although at times the application of these verses was hard, the choice I knew I had to make was easy! I truly believe that I love the Lord, so, because I love Him, I needed to choose obedience!

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 



When we live our lives as believers, we will be at that same point where I was back then, not just once or twice, but time and time again. We are always faced with choices, and the choices we make show who we are truly serving - God, or, our own desires.

It is not enough to read the Bible and to know what it says. Knowing what is the right thing to do is only a part of the process, and I would say that that is the easy part! The second part is following through with what we have been taught, or what we have learned. As we grow in our Christian walk, as we come to know Christ in a deeper way, we will seek to obey God, to keep His commands, As this process happens, our lives will be changed, shaping us to be more like Christ!

 

As I was thinking about these verses, I saw the contrast between the person who lives by truth, and the person who lives a lie. I see how easy it is for me to be like the person in verse 4, who says, "Yeah, I know God", but who does not DO what He asks of us. That is what I know I would be like on my own, without the Spirit of God helping me! My actions would not match up with my words, and it would end up making my words a lie. But I long to be like the person described in verse 5, the one who obeys God's Word, the one in whom God's love is truly made complete.
 

Verse 6 goes on to tell us how to know that we are "IN" Him: 

 

"Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did."

 

How do we walk as Jesus did? We can learn to do this is by studying His life by what is written of Him in the Scriptures. As I stop to think of some examples of how Jesus lived, I think of how Jesus quoted Scripture to resist the devil when He was tempted by him in the desert (see Matthew 4:1-11 or Luke 4:1-13). Jesus used the Word of God to do battle against the enemy, which is what we are instructed to do as well. Ephesians 6:11 and part of verse 17 say:

 

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand

against the devil's schemes."

 

"Take the...sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." 

 

By knowing the Bible and using it to combat the devil, and temptation, we are choosing to walk as Jesus did, and to live in obedience to what He instructs us through His Word.

 

Jesus prayed often. He was so often surrounded by the people He was teaching, healing, and serving, but He took time to withdraw from the crowds so that He could commune with God the Father. He made this a priority. Mark 1:35 shows this:

 

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up,

left the house and went off to a solitary place,

where He prayed."

 

If we want to follow Jesus' example, we will seek to make prayer an important part of our life. It will become a priority, and we will come to need these times with God, our Father, just as we can see that Jesus did. We are instructed to pray in the Bible, so when we do this, we are again obeying the Lord's commands, as we are told we must do in order to come to know Him. Colossians 4:2 says:

 

"Devote yourselves to prayer..."

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (a good verse to memorize!) says:

 

"pray continually"



 

Jesus took on the role of a servant, even though He was a King. He thought of other people's needs before His own. The most touching example of this is when He washed the disciples' feet the night before He died. He "showed them the full extent of His love" (John 13:1) by serving them, even those whom He knew would betray and deny Him. After He had done this, He told His disciples, in John 13:15 and 17:

 

"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

 

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."



 

Jesus was at peace when storms raged around Him. He slept on a boat that was being tossed about in the midst of a furious storm (see Matthew 8:23-27). The men on the boat with him were paralyzed with fear, but He reminded the disciples that faith conquers fear. When we realize that God is in control, we are able to cast all our anxieties upon Him, knowing that He cares for us, and that He will help us in every situation (1 Peter 5:7).

 

Jesus was also at peace later, when an angry mob of people captured Him, beat Him, questioned Him, and crucified Him on a cross. He was willing to bear heavy burdens if the Father willed Him to, even ones that He did not deserve. He didn't angrily defend Himself even though He knew He was innocent, but rather, He was willing to wait for God to judge and punish evil justly, in His time. As He was dying on the cross, Jesus took time for the thief that was being crucified beside Him, and He prayed for the people who were responsible for putting Him on the cross. 

 

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

 

Jesus practiced true love, true forgiveness. He was at one with, and fully submitted to, the Father, desiring and doing only what His Father wanted. He stood for truth at the cost of popularity, content to please God rather than man. He showed love, kindness, mercy - not only to those who were easy to love, but also to those who were difficult; not only to those who would love and serve Him in return, or somehow give back to Him - His love had no conditions attached to it!

 

These examples from Jesus' life are only the tip of the iceberg, but they help me to start seeing the pattern that I will want to follow if I belong to God. This verse, about walking as Jesus did, makes me want to study the Gospels again, paying close attention to all He said and did. 

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

I have spent a lot of time thinking about these verses. They are so simple, yet so important to grasp. God does not force our obedience. We are free to decide whether we will listen to Him, love Him, obey Him. As a parent, I think of my children... If my children know me at all, if they trust that I love them, they will understand that the decisions I make, the rules I have, are meant to guide them towards things that will help them. I want to keep them safe from harm, and to give them good things. God is like that. He does what He does in order to save us from harm, and from death. He guides us in the path of eternal life, where there are wonderful blessings, and great rewards! As I come to know Him more and more, I come to trust Him more and more. As I come to trust God, I don't fight against, or rebel against His instructions and commands. Instead, I find that they make sense, and I find peace in submitting to Him in obedience, like a child does, who loves and trusts his parents.  

 

I don't do this all perfectly, and never will until I reach my forever home - Heaven - but that is my desire, and God is patient with His children. If I sin, Jesus is there to speak to the Father in my defense, the Holy Spirit is there to guide me, making me aware of areas where I have stumbled, helping me to submit my will to His so that He can continue His sanctifying work in my life. Although I sometimes lose sight of this as I choose to look down, at the darkness instead of into the glorious light of His truth, I can be confident that "He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus". In this way, through Jesus Christ and what He did for us, God's love is made complete in the lives of those who believe in Him and obey His Word! 

 

The following song has been running through my mind all week as I have been thinking of these verses, and so I think it is fitting that I end with it:

 

 

TRUST AND OBEY

 

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey. 

 

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

 

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

 

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

 

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.