A DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT by Ralph Neidigh
These weekly devotionals, often from one of our pastors, sometimes remind me of a small letter we find in our Scriptures. It’s just a little letter, written by John, an inner circle disciple of Jesus, to encourage those for whom he had been a pastor. We find it near the end of the New Testament as 1 John. And here is the amazing thing: if this little letter was the only writing of Scripture that you had, it would probably be all you would need!
This is a letter that if you felt the need for reconciliation and forgiveness, it would give you that because it says in 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgives us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
To some degree we all ask ourselves: “How is it that this abundance of forgiveness and purification is available to us?” Something, or someone, has to have done this for us. This letter answers this big question of our lives telling us in 2:1-2, “If anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Have you felt beaten down by life and uncertain of your value because the culture on every hand says it’s what you do, how you look, what you own or don’t own that determine what you are worth? If this was the only little writing you had, you would read in 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.” And that is what you would need to know that you are valued!
Have you wrestled with the question of assurance asking, “Can I as a sinful, frail and fallible human being ever have the hope of standing in the presence of a holy God? Can I have the hope of life eternal?” If this were the only little letter you had, you would read these words in 5:11, “And this is the testimony: God has given us, eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life….” And after reading those words you would sit back and heave a sigh of relief and say, “How can it be so simple? God is my forever friend! So, I have life!”
But then, maybe you wake up at night and you’re still pestered by those lingering doubts. Is it really true? Can I know that? So you open this wonderful letter and there are these words from 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Just one more...This letter summarizes it all up for us in just a single promise in 2:25, “And this is what he promised us – even eternal life.”
WOW! In just this little letter we have been given all we would need if this was all we had.
The Word of God. Amen.
