​He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:4).
 
A man I knew who had gone to church every morning of his life, but who abandoned that practice, said to me, “Tell God I still love Him, even if I haven’t been to see Him lately.”  Such sadness came over me.  Would I feel loved if someone sent me such a message?  I don’t think so.  Did my friend ever know God?  I can’t imagine that he did.  Anyone who knows God knows He doesn’t live in the church building; He lives in the hearts of His people.  He puts His Kingdom in His believers and He builds His Temple in each one.  His second commandment in the book of John is that we must be born from above.
 
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”  3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” (John 3:1-3).
 
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:7).
 
Please don’t tell me you know all about God and yet have not followed this primary commandment.  If Jesus uses the word “must,” it must be a pretty important step to take.  Humble yourself and ask to be born from above.

​Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments (1 Jean 2:3).
 
Do you know Jesus? I’ve known Him for thirty-three years. I knew about Him for thirty-nine years, but in all my church going I never met Him until I reached thirty-nine, and then I realized what a waste the first part of my life had been. Now I know Him, and the more I know Him, the more I realize there is more to know. The Holy Spirit has turned me inside out, cleaning up the mess I made in those thirty-nine years, and yet there are still little parts of me that want to cling to the old ways. His new way is SO simple and yet so difficult to achieve. All He asks is that we love one another so much we become one.
 
Because “to love” is an action and requires moving, sometimes, when I am truly walking the love walk, I can feel His legs walking right inside of mine. That’s not so unusual. The Bible says He lives in us. He loved the world so much He gave His life for it. What’s His commandment? To love one another as He loved us and to really do that we have to know Him and obey Him.

​And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 Jean 2:2).
 
It amazes me that anyone can still call himself a sinner when Jesus paid such a horrendous price to get everybody in the whole world saved. He paid for every single sin. It’s not just the little sins because even a mass murderer is forgiven. People who are torturing others so viciously in this day and age that we can scarcely breathe when we read the reports, Jesus already paid the price for their sins. That’s mind-blowing. Maybe He sees what that person could be. Maybe He sees the little boy or girl that was so savagely treated that they must treat other people savagely. Still, it doesn’t seem fair. And yet, everyone is forgiven.
 
Of course, there is one condition to that forgiveness and that is each person must accept the work Jesus did through His death, burial and resurrection in order to receive the benefits of forgiveness. Most people don’t know they are forgiven. It’s our job to go tell them. If we don’t, they won’t know and then they will spend eternity paying for their sins, even the little ones, in hell.

​My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).
 
My Catholic friends go to confession once a week. I don’t know how they can do it. I have to go every day! Negative thoughts build forts in my mind and I say stupid words every day of my life. Then there are times I simply don’t do what the Lord asks of me just because I don’t want to. Thank goodness Jesus is my Lawyer. He goes before the Judge of the Universe with His shame-faced client and says, “Your Honor, Dad, Marty is guilty as charged. “He then looks triumphantly at the devil who is the plaintiff and He says to God, “She is resting her case on My blood, which paid for her sins, past, present and future.”
 
God picks up His little gavel, smacks the desk with it and smiles at my Lawyer, “Jesus, Son, case dismissed.”