19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 3:19-24 ESV
This is another one of those moments when John takes a pause for his readers to reflect on the assurance and hope they have in Christ Jesus as they consider the fruit of the following areas in their lives:
- Do we have a willingness to obey His commandments?
- Do we consistently act against our former sin nature in our pursuit to please God?
- Do we attempt to love our brothers and sisters in Christ as He has first loved us in deed and truth?
While we may never be fully satisfied by the honest answers we have to these questions, the more we can truly affirm these things, the less our heart is likely to condemn us, and we will have increased confidence in God. Positive answers to these questions are evidence that we are abiding in God and He in us.
The more we press into the Lord and His heart for obedience, truth, and love, our lives will continue to be transformed by His goodness and grace! It’s a beautiful cycle because the more we are conformed to His image, the more we will want what He wants. And when our wants are aligned with His, He is pleased to give us “the desires of our hearts” (Psalm 37:3), which were really His the whole time.
I pray that our assurance in You is solid, true, and lasting because we can trust in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to make us more like You every day. Let us not hinder Your work in us by refusing to obey Your commandments, walk in Your truth, and love like You have first loved us. Rather, help us yield to You and submit our lives to Your gracious work in us, redeeming us and readying us today for your everlasting rule and reign.