Many believers struggle with a kind of "yo-yo" faith. One day, they are on top of the world, another, the sky is falling in. We live in a society where truth is relative, everyone has an opinion and people have fragile egos. We seem to forget that Jesus promised us tribulation as well as blessing.
A stool has 3 legs. It is stable. You can sit on the stool and rest. God wants us to be stable, not "blown around by every wind of teaching". (Ephesians 4:14)
Jesus said that He is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). We need to know Jesus as the only Way to God. We need to know Jesus as the Truth, the Word of God. It is truth that sets us free (John 8:32). Those who are born again know these fundamentals. That's two of the "legs of the stool".
It seems clear to me that there is one "leg" that is missing. It is the reality that Jesus is the Life of the believer. This is not something to aspire to, or to hope for the future. " He who has the Son has Life" (1 John 5:12). As an aside, if you do not have the Son, you are spiritually dead, no matter how much you know, how faithful you are in your religious duties or how good your works are. "I've always been a Christian" is a dangerous attitude to have. Being a Christian is not automatic. Somewhere along the line, we must receive Christ ourselves.
So what does it mean to know Jesus as the Life? It means that Lord Jesus is now living in us, in our new spirit man, ready, willing and able to be all that God requires us to be but cannot be. When we see this, striving ends. A bird flies because it is a bird. It has the nature of a bird. It does not have to have an engine, propeller, landing gear and such. Christians are already complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10). We have everything pertaining to life and godliness (1 Peter 1:3) but only in knowing Christ.
We really are new creations in Christ. There is nothing left for us to do except believe and thank God for His mercy, love and grace that gave us this wonderful new life. When trials and testing comes, as they will, we can rest assured that Christ in us is our victory, peace and joy.
When I was at sea, the ship endured several terrible storms. One was so severe that it buckled the fore deck emergency hatch and allowed a bit of sea water to enter. I never was scared. I knew that the officers were skilled and that the ship was well built. I would go to the bridge and watch the waves crash over us. It was amazing. I had faith in the ship and the crew. How much more can we have faith in our Lord Jesus, who conquered every trial and temptation that anyone could endure. He is our strength, our shield and our stability.
If this does not make sense to you, ask God to reveal the truth. It will transform your life if you can grasp it.
A stool has 3 legs. It is stable. You can sit on the stool and rest. God wants us to be stable, not "blown around by every wind of teaching". (Ephesians 4:14)
Jesus said that He is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). We need to know Jesus as the only Way to God. We need to know Jesus as the Truth, the Word of God. It is truth that sets us free (John 8:32). Those who are born again know these fundamentals. That's two of the "legs of the stool".
It seems clear to me that there is one "leg" that is missing. It is the reality that Jesus is the Life of the believer. This is not something to aspire to, or to hope for the future. " He who has the Son has Life" (1 John 5:12). As an aside, if you do not have the Son, you are spiritually dead, no matter how much you know, how faithful you are in your religious duties or how good your works are. "I've always been a Christian" is a dangerous attitude to have. Being a Christian is not automatic. Somewhere along the line, we must receive Christ ourselves.
So what does it mean to know Jesus as the Life? It means that Lord Jesus is now living in us, in our new spirit man, ready, willing and able to be all that God requires us to be but cannot be. When we see this, striving ends. A bird flies because it is a bird. It has the nature of a bird. It does not have to have an engine, propeller, landing gear and such. Christians are already complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10). We have everything pertaining to life and godliness (1 Peter 1:3) but only in knowing Christ.
We really are new creations in Christ. There is nothing left for us to do except believe and thank God for His mercy, love and grace that gave us this wonderful new life. When trials and testing comes, as they will, we can rest assured that Christ in us is our victory, peace and joy.
When I was at sea, the ship endured several terrible storms. One was so severe that it buckled the fore deck emergency hatch and allowed a bit of sea water to enter. I never was scared. I knew that the officers were skilled and that the ship was well built. I would go to the bridge and watch the waves crash over us. It was amazing. I had faith in the ship and the crew. How much more can we have faith in our Lord Jesus, who conquered every trial and temptation that anyone could endure. He is our strength, our shield and our stability.
If this does not make sense to you, ask God to reveal the truth. It will transform your life if you can grasp it.
