Good Advice

Good advice is hard to come by. In fact, people pay high prices for expert advice. There are financial, legal, medical, psychological, and exercise specialists. However, often the common-sense advice we need for daily living is even harder to find. One man named John wrote letters in the New Testament filled with good, common-sense advice. He was one of Jesus’ disciples, and he was in his 90s when he wrote these letters. Here are some basic guidelines for living e gave us.

Don’t Let Sin Trap You: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin” (1 John 2:1). We are to learn to beware of sin because it is a trap. We can find ourselves trapped before we even know it, so John says, aware of sin, especially sexual traps. Pornography is a trap that has ruined the lives of many men today.

Walk With Jesus: “…But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). This means everyday communion and engagement with Jesus, not just on Sundays.

Remember You Have an Advocate: “….But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). There is a good chance we will mess up, but John says Jesus will intercede for you, and you can and will be forgiven if you come in repentance.

You are a Child of God! Live Like it!: “….The man who says, ‘I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him…This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:3-6). Living out the faith in everyday life is our greatest challenge. I like to call it authenticity.

Our Respect for God Translates into Our Obedience: “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him” (1 John 2:5). Obeying Jesus’ words and living like him show our deepest respect for Christ. It means we honor him as our Lord!

Jesus is Your Hero:  “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). There is no better hero than Jesus; no one is more worthy to imitate than the one who died for us.

There you have it—six basic rules that will literally make a difference in our lives.  When we really understand how dangerous sin is, we will stay away from it.  That means we will remove ourselves from the temptation the way Joseph did when he ran from Potiphar’s wife.  John advises us to take the scriptures literally.

Hope Shines Through The Darkness

 

Everyone needs hope to live, no matter who you are or where you live. Easter is the time of year that reminds each of us that there is hope. Maybe your hope has dimmed, and the light is barely shining. Many of you are burdened with troubles and find yourselves in the midst of a personal crisis, but so were the first Christians on that very first Resurrection Sunday morning. Just as those first believers found life to be a dead-end street with no future, you too may feel the same. They came to realize that Jesus really did die, but he also really did rise from the dead. For you this morning, it may feel like there is a three-ton boulder blocking your path, but on the first Easter, they found the stone already rolled away. The angel of the Lord had come and moved the stone, not for Jesus, but for those who needed to verify that Jesus was risen. Maybe it feels like all hope is gone for you. It is hard for you to find motivation, even to do the most basic things. Your joy is gone. You are not alone. It was this way for the followers of Christ after Jesus died on the cross. With Jesus’ death came the death of all their hopes and dreams.

The women who went to the tomb early on Sunday Morning did not go thinking they would find an empty tomb, but rather a dead body. However, the resurrection of Jesus changed everything. I invite you to take a look at the empty tomb, and you, too, will find that He is risen. Easter means Jesus is risen from the dead, and death could not hold him. That ugly monster of death, which has intimidated every person who has ever lived, has met its match. The prophets said that Jesus’ body would never see decay, and they were right: three days later, he arose from the dead. Easter means Jesus is alive. It means he is present with us. He is here! However, this is not just an announcement; it is a day to respond to God’s invitation to receive life. It is a day to embrace God with all your heart. I encourage you today to open your heart and allow God to speak to you. Jesus died for you, and he will transform your life if you let him. Because Jesus is alive, you can have hope for this life and the next.