Today’s Old Testament passages confront us with
- a God before whom Israel
- a God at whose word the bloodthirsty
all-conquering Assyrians would see their capital Nineveh
- a God whose Temple Israel wouldn't face the same judgment as Nineveh
So what a contrast in 1 John! Now it is Jesus’ blood (v 16) and our
status is not as fearful subjects but as dearly loved children. We
have the promise that when Christ returns we shall be like him. And
in place of the long rule book two simple commands “to believe in the name of
his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded
us”. Yet of course there’s nothing simple about this radical
calling. As Christ lay down his life for us, nothing less than
laying down our lives for each other is appropriate (v 16). Our
motivation for living according to God’s commands no longer comes from fear but
from deep gratitude for the unwarranted love the Father has lavished on us.
It’s not an expectation of perfection but to allow God’s Spirit in us to make
us evermore like Jesus.
Take
a few moments to thank the Father for his lavish love in Jesus, to reflect on
what it cost and to ask him to show you today how you can love not just with
words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
(member of Christ Church