God’s Presence #7—Present for Life

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The ones who have the Son have this life; the ones who do not have the Son of God do not have this life. 1 John 5:11–12

All patients have doctors. We have a doctor in the sense that the doctor has promised to be present as a doctor in time of need. Patients possess doctors to the extent that all of the doctor’s skills are available to us as patients. On the other hand, even though there are many doctors, if we do not have one, we do not benefit from the doctor’s skills. This is the kind of “having” John has in mind. When we trust our doctors enough to commit our lives to their care, we have them and we benefit from the relationship. So it is with Jesus, only more so, because the eternal life God has given us in him is certain and effective. While patients expect “life and health” from our doctors, they cannot always generate this effect; God does not always work through them to bring healing. But eternal life—having fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which we experience as seeing reality the way God wants us to see it and living honestly in the light of this truth—is always active in our lives when we have a relationship with his Son. So if we have the Son, we have the life he promises.

Father, thank you for the life that is mine in Jesus, and for giving me the confidence to commit myself to his care forever. Help me today to remember that I have this everlasting life, so I will live fearlessly.