Episode 36: 1 John 3:1-10

Already this week, most of us have probably lost our temper with our kids, ignored an opportunity to be generous, or let the urge to have one more get the better of us.

We're not yet who we want to be, but we're not who we used to be either. Before meeting Jesus, we were oblivious to our sinfulness. After meeting Jesus, the Holy Spirit inside of us makes us aware of our sinfulness — not out of condemnation, but out of a desire to help us change.

We cannot meet Jesus and stay the same. John, one of Jesus’ closest followers, and friends, writes, “No one who lives in [Jesus] keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6).

When we understand the depth of what Jesus did for us, it draws us to Him. And as we spend time with Jesus, the desire to sin starts to lose its pull. Saved people are not perfect people, but they are forgiven people. And forgiven people change.

Salvation is a starting point, and the same Spirit that drew us to Jesus in the first place will continue to shape us over time. Even on our worst days, the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave us or abandon us. He continues to draw us back to Jesus, time and time again.

One of the best ways to know if we are children of God is to look back at our lives and ask: Was there a time when I asked Jesus into my life? Is my life different now than it was back then? As we listen to Jesus and do what He says, we are being change daily from the inside out into His very own image.

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