Do you remember a moment (or let's be honest...moments) as a kid when you got caught red-handed? Maybe sneaking cookies before dinner time or shoving your little sister? I think we can all relate to that moment of fear at being found out, the shame in seeing the shocked look of disappointment on our parent's faces, and the gnawing regret of wishing we had done something different.
Moments like those provided the opportunity to either learn from our parents' discipline and avoid those mistakes in the future...or to get better at covering them up. There were many times growing up where I simply got more clever at hiding my tracks or concocting better lies. I learned how to "get away with it". Now we may have gotten away with pulling the wool over our parents' eyes as kids, but there is no hiding from our Heavenly Father!
The apostle John cautions us to "abide in [Christ], so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming" (1 Jn. 2:28). Abiding in Christ means living a repentant lifestyle. It is marked by a real, growing, honest relationship with the Lord—a relationship based on truth, a relationship where nothing is hidden. But if abiding in Christ were easy, John would not have to urge us to do so!
The truth is, it is hard living in the light of Jesus' constant presence (1:5–7). It is hard loving our brothers and sisters in the faith (2:9–11). It is hard guarding our love for God against the love of the world (2:15). And it is hard walking as He did, in humble submission and obedience (2:6).
Often we find ourselves in the trenches of faith, weary and disillusioned, wishing God would just leave us alone. I'm done, God! I quit! This ceaseless battle isn't what I signed up for! Well, actually, it is. Whether we like it or not, every Christian is on active duty (Eph. 6:10–18); it is for discipline that we must endure (Heb. 12:7). Put another way: there are no casual bystanders in the war for men's souls! And though the discipline of our Heavenly Father may be unpleasant, we can take heart in knowing it is a mark of His love and our sonship (Heb. 12:5–8).
So...what would you change in your life if you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow? What would He find you doing? Or saying? Or thinking? As believers, we sometimes brush aside these questions with an air of subtle unbelief: There's no way Jesus will be back in my lifetime. I've got at least another forty or fifty years before I have to worry about any of that "meeting my Maker" stuff... But the Bible tells us that no one knows the day or the hour of Jesus' return—not even Jesus Himself (Mk. 13:32)!
Therefore we must always be at the ready, prepared and poised to meet our God. Does this mean sinless perfection? Not at all! But it does mean two things: self-examination and gratitude. Self-examination, that we may shine Christ's light into the deepest and darkest recesses of our sinful human hearts. Gratitude that even though we struggle with sin, if we will but abide in Christ our Savior, His grace shall one day remove those sins from us so far as if they never were at all!
Martin Luther once said, "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times." If the battle of faith finds you weary, soldier, refresh yourself with the grace of God. It is trustworthy a thousand times over! Grace gives us strength to endure, patience to grow, and—most of all—confidence and joy at the prospect of meeting our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ!
Lord, thank You that—as Your child—I do not have to fear or be ashamed at Your coming! Thank You that by Your grace I can stand before You now and on that Day with confident assurance and joy inexpressible! Help me stay close to You, Jesus—abiding in Your constant presence and walking in the light of Your Word. Holy Spirit, help me not to despise the discipline of my Heavenly Father, but to accept it and endure it as an expression of His love for me. Strengthen me, O God, for the battle ahead; help me stand, firm and steadfast, in the grace of Christ! In Jesus' name, amen.
Reflection Questions
- Are there any areas in your walk with the Lord where you've been hiding instead of abiding? Confess those areas to Jesus in prayer.
- How does the reality of God's grace strengthen and encourage us for the battle of faith?
- What role do Christ's Word and His sacrifice have in our discipline as God's children?