GOD IS LOVE Devotion 19 of 34 "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit." (1 John 4:13) – Tomorrow:
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love . . . God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:8,16)
And what is the evidence that we abide in Him, and He abides in us? It is not a knowledge of the Scriptures, as indispensable as that is. It is not the bearing of much fruit, prodigious labors, or the ability to catch men. None of those things are to be diminished or despised, for they are evidence of the blessing of the Lord. But they are in a different category than the confirmation that we abide in God and He abides in us. They are all human expressions. Although they are the result of Divine empowerment, they are not to be the source of our confidence, rejoicing, or the conclusion that we are in Him, and He is in us.
In confirmation of this, you may recall our Lord's words to seventy of His disciples, sent on a special mission by Himself. He gave them power to do unprecedented things. Upon returning with joy from their mission, they shouted, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." Immediately, the Lord identified the reason for their success, saying, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven," and "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
Notwithstanding, He would not allow them to base their joy or confidence on what they had done. Their success was owing to two factors in which they played no original part whatsoever. First, Satan had been toppled. Second, Jesus had given them power to do what they did, and therefore their rejoicing could not rest in those deeds, even though they were most marvelous.
Jesus will anchor them in something of more consistency – something that had been wrought for them, not through them. With great power He said, "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven" (Lk 10:17-20). That was something that would not fluctuate, whole their exploits would not be noted for their consistency.
A short while after this display of Divine power through them, nine of Christ's inner circle of disciples were unable to cast a demon out of an oppressed boy. When they asked the Lord why they could not cast the demon out He replied, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matt 17:14-19). They would not always have dominion over all the power of the enemy. James would be killed by Herod. The Apostles would be beaten. Stephen would be stoned by the Jewish council. All of the Apostles with the exception of John would be martyred. But no one would be able to remove their names from the book of life!
The knowledge of our identity with the Lord, and His with us, must be based upon what He has done, not what we have done. How marvelously this is confirmed in this text. "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."
This is one of the great affirmations of Scripture. It is among the very first benefits enjoyed by those who come into Christ. "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Think of the affirmations of this truth – namely that those in Christ have received the Holy Spirit of God.
1. "Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." (2 Cor 1:22)
2. "Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." (2 Cor 5:5)
3. "Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit." (1 Thess 4:8)
4. "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:24)
5. "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!'" (Gal 4:6)
6. "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.'" (Rom 8:15)
7. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." (1 Cor 2:12)
8. "Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." (Rom 8:23)
9. "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:19)
It is the business of every child of God to perceive the presence of the Holy Spirit, and then to draw confidence and assurance from His presence.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Grant me grace to be sensitive of both His presence and His leasing.