Walk in it

And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. (I John 3:23-24)

We must believe - there is no other way into a restored relationship with God the Father than through Jesus Christ, his Son. This truth sometimes gets a little tweaked in religious circles - wanting to add some manner of 'works' to the simple belief God requires of us. No amount of us 'doing' will ever measure up to what Christ has already done. Simply believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died on the cross to make us free from the guilt and shame of our sin, and stop adding to the simplicity of grace. Grace is given, never earned. It is based on a finished work - that of Jesus and not on what we will ever be able to do in 'addition' to what has already been done.

Love one another - another very pointed command involves us living at peace with each other, giving of ourselves to one another, and removing the 'obligation' to love us in return. Those who do not have this deep, growing relationship with Jesus have a great deal of difficulty loving in such a manner. Why? There are strings attached to their love. They want something in return. Love as though you have received everything you need in Christ Jesus because you have! We cannot receive more than we have already been given - all we need is found in Christ Jesus. When we love one another, we are just sharing bits and pieces of his grace, goodness, and kindness that has been extended to us.

Remain in fellowship with him - engaging in an ongoing, continually growing relationship with him. As we do, we find loving one another is a 'natural offshoot' of having experienced his tremendous love. Relationship is always a two-way street. We don't just talk to God; we listen to him. We don't just receive from God; we share what we have received. We don't just get to keep; we receive to give out until other lives are overflowing with his grace and love just like ours. Those who 'remain' in fellowship have a special privilege - the Spirit of God lives within them. We no longer 'walk out' our salvation alone because we have God's Spirit to guide our choices and influence our actions. Believe, love, remain - three very specific actions on our part. God's grace and love backs each of these very specific actions. All we do is walk in that grace and love. Just sayin!