Stayed With

Stayed With

1John 2: ¹⁸ My children, the end is near! You were told that the Enemy of Christ would come; and now many enemies of Christ have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near. ¹⁹ These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us.

 

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Frustrated at the world around me, I wanted “everything” to change. I decided to explore the things I was told I should not do. When the world did not explode, I tried more and more. Soon, I stopped going to church and labeled “them” as hypocrites.

 

• I could easily leave church without being missed.
• I was gathering in a church for my own reason.
• I wanted to be part of a group, but wanted to have “fun” so  I went to another group.

 

John reminds everyone about the teachings about the Enemy of CHRIST. He then stated that many enemies of CHRIST have appeared. This set of enemies pretended to love JESUS by saying HIS name, yet when persecution arose, the fake people left.

 

My Observations:

• GOD knows that people who follow JESUS will be persecuted by those who do not believe.
• Staying with GOD means I will do it through easy times and difficult times.
• Facing difficulties with servants of GOD means I “belong” to HIM.

 

Saying “The end is near” to people who do not believe in CHRIST, sounds ridiculous. I mean, weren’t these words written thousands of years ago? Yes! The return of CHRIST has remained imminent since HIS resurrection. GOD took the focus off of the date of the return by not providing it.

 

HE wants us to “remain” in HIM and “abide” in HIS ways. Staying with GOD means I will not try to leave HIM when difficulties or persecution arise. It also means I will not leave other people who serve the LORD and are going through tough times too. I am glad GOD never leaves us.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think the writer mentions “the end is near?”
• When times are difficult, do you want to leave GOD to find some relief somewhere else?
• Will you stay with GOD and remain focused on HIS love, even when times are difficult?