April 13 - GET YOUR LIFE!!!

We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.  Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  1 John 5:9-13 (NIV)

"This life is in his Son"; the key word in this phrase being 'IS', which is the present tense of 'to be'...it is a verb and it is ongoing.  The "Assurance of Salvation" says this:

"Every Christian desires to have assurance of salvation, i.e., the certainty that when Christ returns or when death comes, he or she will go to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven (Philippians 1:23).  John's purpose in writing his first letter is that God's people may have that assurance (1John 5:13).  Note that nowhere in the letter does John state that a past experience of conversion constitutes an assurance or guarantee of salvation.  To assume we possess eternal life based solely on a past experience or on a faith that is no longer vital is a grave error.  This letter sets out nine ways for us to know that we are in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ."  (Full Life Study Bible, Article)
 

Some of us have been lulled into believing, as well as our children, that once saved, we're always saved.  Being transparent, where I'm about to go, initially was a hard concept for me.  The bible says in John 3:15-16 "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  Again believeth or believes is present tense or something that is done continually.  Think about it this way; I can't accept Jesus as my savior one month and then the following month, join a demonic cult which denounces the bible and the Holy Spirit and still expect to go to heaven.  GOD FORBID!  The gift of salvation and eternal life lies in an on-going, saving relationship in which we have to work purposefully, diligently and continuously.     If the testimony is that God has given us eternal life; then our life (the way we live, move and have our being), our faith and commitment to Him should be eternal too. 

Father, thank you for giving us eternal life in Your Son!  Thank you for giving our children eternal life.  We declare right now that we will believe; we declare that we will honor Christ in our lives; we declare that we will love the Father and the Son rather than the world; we declare that we will practice righteousness rather than sin; we declare that we will love our brothers and sisters; we declare that we will be conscious of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us; we declare that we will strive to follow Jesus' example; we declare that we will believe, accept and remain in the Word of Life; we declare that we will have an earnest longing and unbending hope in Christ's return.  And we decree these declarations in the lives of our children.  They will not just live; they shall have LIFE!  In Jesus name, Amen!