Mon., 5/26/14 Devotion (1 Jn. 5:12)

To those of you who are Americans, Happy Memorial (or Decoration) Day!

Today's encouragement comes from 1 John 5:12, where we read these words:

"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

This is a very straightforward scripture (above). If a soul has Jesus, that soul has life. If a soul lacks Jesus, that soul has no life. If this is true--which it clearly is--then most people do not have life. No matter what else they poss-ess, they are devoid of the most important and vital principle of existence: be-ing "alive" spiritually, (or, in the soul).

Therefore we must ask: "*How* do we *get* this life? Do we have to work for it, beat ourselves up (in order to get it), or become extremely religious (to pro-cure it)?" No; none of this will suffice. We must have *faith* in Jesus. Saving faith fetches Christ to our hearts; and He (alone) gives us life. (Cf. 1 Jn. 5:4 in this regard.)

[Puritan quote of the day: "We do not live by feeling, but by faith. It is the duty of a Christian to begin with faith, and so to rise up to feeling." --William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up for the Downcast"]