1 John 5: Living with Jesus

1 John 5: Living with Jesus

1. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.

3. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

12. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

◇ What does it mean to live with Jesus, to live with God? In human relationships, living together means setting aside part of oneself and accepting the other. It’s not about completely erasing oneself, but rather about adjusting and compromising to coexist. This process of adjustment can sometimes bring pain, crises, joy, and happiness.

Even in the midst of pain, crises, and suffering, we endure because of love. Without love, we would give up and stop trying to live together. Isn't it the greatness of love that enables us to endure beyond the pain?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if living with Jesus and God were only filled with joy and happiness? However, as we all know, there are pains, conflicts, and crises. There are the inevitable pains of human existence, such as birth, aging, sickness, and death, but there are also pains that come from trying to live with God. We endure and bear these pains and fears because we love him, don't we? Because we believe in him, right? If we did not believe in and love him, if we did not want to live with him, there would be no reason to endure such pain, suffering, and fear.

Loving him means keeping his laws and commands. It means following the love he demonstrated and showed us. John said his commands are not burdensome, but in reality, they can feel heavy to us. To keep these commands of love, we must endure, face crises, and sometimes tremble with fear.

Isn't living with Jesus and God about gradually shaping ourselves to keep his commands of love? Because we love him, and because there is life in him.

♧ God, help us to endure well. Let our lives be filled with love that responds to the love you have given us. Let our lives be filled with life. Let us be together. Holy Spirit, guide us in truth. Amen.