1 John 5:3-4. Wednesday, January 14. 2015.

“And His commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.”

1 John 5:3-4

It continues to amaze me how directly opposed sacred scripture is to the world.

And vice versa.

These verses are no exception.

Often His commandments stop me in my tracks.

I can’t say that.

I shouldn’t do that.

I best not see that movie.

I definitely can’t go there.

I better watch my language.

I need to stop spending time with them.

His commands are a moral compass.

They help guide us in discerning what is right and what is wrong.

They might even make a decision for us.

Often, following His commands is pure joy.

There is nothing else I would rather be doing.

There is certainly no one else that I would rather follow.

And then there are times

when His commands seem to butt heads with my measly plans.

That moral compass just gets in the way.

I know I shouldn’t but I reeeeeally want to.

Even for the most devout and most faithful servants,

there comes a time when His commands inconvenience our human nature.

But John tells us otherwise.

No, His commands are far from burdensome.

We are begotten by God.

We are brought up by God.

Those who are brought up by Him conquer the world.

Since when does following a strict moral regimen equate conquering the world?

Once again, not in the world’s eyes.

But in God’s eyes.

God is saying,

“That right there,

following my commands over the world’s,

that is victory over the world. 

You have conquered!”

But where on earth do we obtain the strength,

ability,

power,

and desire to conquer the world?

That comes from faith.

Faith in the things unseen.

In a far better world than this that we shall leave behind.

That is the victory.