“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” v.31-32
Powerful words. In these two verses Jesus sums up how to live in true freedom from sin. I think the key word that many of us want to overlook is the word “faithful”. How faithful are you to Christ? I am not asking how many Christian t-shirts, or CD’s you own, I am asking, are you faithful to Him? I think many of us would say, “I am pretty faithful” and feel good about it, but should we?
If I told my wife that I was “pretty faithful” yesterday, how do you think she would feel? I know how she would feel, she would be hurt, and then I would be hurt. If I told her that I was pretty faithfull I am admitting that I wasn’t 100 percent faithful and it causes problems in our relationship.
Jesus says, when we are faithful to His teaching, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. We don’t experience all the things of Christ by simply knowing the truth. I can know the things I should do and not do them. But when we are faithful, moved by a deep love that changes our actions, it puts our knowledge into action and there we find the freedom that Jesus is talking about.
Today, ask yourself, Am I faithful? Are there areas you are more faithful in than others? What has to change, in me, for me to experience what this verse is teaching today?
Dan Gould 