1 John 2:28–3:10
28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
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I have to admit the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" can certainly apply to me. I have a habit, a habit most of us have, to try things out but never get too serious. I took piano lessons for six months - I can still play parts of Beethoven's Fifth. I took up bowling as a kid -- even had my own shoes and bowling balls! I golf a few times a year - my goal is to score my annual birdie. I hit a tennis ball around now and then - every once and a while I'll serve an ace. I've tried a lot and have had some success, but I really haven't devoted myself to these pursuits. Sometimes I approach my religion like that, and although being a duffer is acceptable, John says there is no excuse for a believer to take this thing less than seriously.
Perhaps many of us never find the joy of Christianity because we haven't invested ourselves in it. We are weekend warriors of sorts, being spiritual in short spurts that leave us sore and aching instead of fulfilled and satisfied. John says we just can’t live like that and expect to experience all the joy of being God's child. He tells us we must "continue in him."
This is another word that is one of John's favorites - continue or remain or abide. It carries with it the idea of sticking with something, of becoming an expert, of being a dedicated student. It means that our spiritual walk is a discipline, not a hobby. Jesus promised joy to this disciples, but he never promised joy to those who take a half-hearted approach to discipleship. To use a concept Kyle Idleman turned into a book; we are not called to be fans, we are called to be followers. Joy awaits the true follower - the one who continues, remains, and abides.
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