Investment 5

1 John 2:24-25

Visiting friends and relatives over the holidays we got to see many generations of our family and the family of our friends – parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren. And as we spent time together we could see family traits emerging in younger generations. This one looks like grandpa. That one acts like Mom.

Our heritage, whether physical attributes or parts of our personality, is handed down from person to person and lived out in our lives. And the same is true of our faith in Jesus.

The author of 1 John has some direction for believers. What should remain in us? To whom does that connect us? What are we promised?

If you look to the very beginning of 1 John you will see the first indication of what John is talking about here. In 1 John 1:1 it says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.”

He is talking about Jesus Christ and pointing out that the experience of the reality of Jesus, the knowledge that Christ is of God, has been handed down from those who were witnesses. This knowledge, this foundation of faith, has been handed down over the centuries to each of us.

Now it is up to us to embrace that heritage. It is up to us to invest ourselves in our faith, to accept as true the Son-ship of Jesus. And this Son of God, Jesus, must remain in us. He must be part of who we are and how we relate to the world.

If we allow Jesus to live within us and if we live out the example of Jesus then we are connected to God, the Father. If we can have Jesus remain in us then like Jesus we can say, “When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.” (John 12:45)

And what is the reward of this? For one we are part of the glorious and joyful ministry of God’s kingdom. We are part of the blessing of grace to the world. And we are promised everlasting life.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can Jesus remain in you?