As always, this is a rough draft
I hope you’ve enjoyed your study of 1 John and learned that you can say with confidence, “I am walking in the light.” As we mentioned last time, being honest means speaking the truth with integrity. Without security about your salvation, it is very difficult to be honest about your walk as a Christian. Those without security try to do various things to overcome this and they are all harmful.
For example, a Christian friend you know may belive that they have to do a certain amount of things each day in order to ‘stay saved.’ These folks cannot admit to their fear of losing God, nor can they speak honestly about their Christian walk because they perceive a great need to perform. If they are not meeting their own expectations, they can try to overemphasize small deeds or avoid sharing certain areas of their lives with others. As we read in 1 John this past week, “perfect love drives out all fear.” If you start to become afraid that you are somehow not doing enough or that you have drifted away from God, go back through 1 John to get your confidence back.
I say this because as we move into what a Christian does, it can become too easy to believe that we are saved by what we do instead of what God has done for us. Let me repeat that: you are not a Christian because of what you do, you are a Christian because Jesus paid the price for yours and my sin on the cross.
On the other hand, it can also become to easy to believe that what you do is unimportant. Just like our own parents trained us and expected certain behavior from us, God expects the same. the motivation of God is not control, acheivements, or some kind of gradebook. Instead, as we learned in 1 John, his motivation is love for each one of us. God seeks to train us to lead a life that not only glorifies Him, but gives you life as well. A good life doesn’t mean you will not have problems. God, through his love, seeks to train us to handle our problems when they come. As you will learn throughout life, you will reap what you sow. If you sow righteousness, you will reap great benefits.
Stepping Stone number two is:
A man reaps what he sows.
Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. –Galatians 6:7-9
Put another way, if you plant tomatoes, do you expect eggplants in the spring? In addition to being honest, it is helpful to recognize that your actions have consequences good and bad. Being honest about yourself allows you to deal with these consequences in a healthy way.
More later…