1 John 2:12-14

this passage took on a whole new meaning for me this time around.  i have read and studied this letter for pretty much the entire time i’ve been a disciple of jesus, but this is the first time i’ve worked to see it from john’s point of view…an eighty year old follower of christ looking back on a life well-lived…a guy who was there from the beginning of the movement and someone with a perspective broad enough and deep enough to give sage advice and measured insight.  and his insight in this passage is priceless.

the life of following christ is a process.  the foundation we need to learn in our spiritual childhood is the depth and breadth of forgiveness.  without a profound grasp on the atonement of jesus, we will remain a spiritual baby…for a lifetime.

our spiritual young adulthood is all about moving to front line…motivated by the words of christ and the strength that comes with confidence in the power and truth of those words.  just like the wide-eyed, eager soldiers who head oversees to do battle with a faceless, deceptive enemy these days, so the young foot-soldier for the lord heads to the front line ready to do hand-to-hand combat with the evil one.

finally, the growth process runs it’s full course as we move to spiritual maturity…that place in life where we can be saturated with confidence that comes from a lifetime of seeing the power and promises of god come alive day after day.  priceless.

• are you moving forward in your spiritual journey?
• what kind of help do you need?
• are you experiencing the forgiveness of god daily?

one last thing…for those who asked and also for those who should have…here’s a video of the the guy who wrote the song and played the guitar on the background music during the slideshow on forgiveness.  make sure you check it out.  he’s absolutely amazing!