The Gauge

February 4

A lot of our time is spent in a quest for affirmation. We want to trust the essential aspects of life and truth and eternity and we want a secure hook to hang them upon. We give our lives to Jesus because we trust Him, because there is no other figure in history or in the present whose perfection compels our trust.

But once we have committed ourselves to the Lord for time and eternity, how do we trust ourselves to live out the wondrous born-again life He’s given to us? The beloved apostle, the one who leaned upon the bosom of the Lord (John 13:23) tells us how to measure the depth of our commitment.

In I John 3:14 he states emphatically, “We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.” That’s a very strong assertion. It’s an extremely sobering point of contemplation.

Jesus loved us while we were sinners. When we receive Him as Savior and Lord, we will love others as He loves them. The feeling we have for them then becomes the gauge of our own salvation. When we love Jesus who is Life, there is no place in us for hatred which is death!