Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart ... And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life ... 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. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
There are numerous references to the early believers and their boldness. The coming of the Holy Spirit was referred to as a "power" moment. Not only do we have permission and the right as children of God to approach God with confidence, he is expecting us to. When there is an opportunity or a need, he wants us to talk to him about it and express our heart. When we do not God is dismayed or sometimes appalled. When the people of Israel were living in their own way rebelling against God, Isaiah wrote this in Isaiah 59:14-16:
So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene ...
Know that God loves you and me. He has chosen us to be his tool in this world for carrying out his plan of restoring mankind into the right relationship with him. He wants us to use his power and to approach him with confidence as we partner in working the fulfillment of his plan.
No comments:
Post a Comment