We’ve all been here recently; we have heard someone say one thing and then act in a different
way. With the amount of cultural and political critique and conversations going on, this is an
inescapable reality. And, honestly, all of the “evaluating” we’re doing is exhausting. It wears us
out emotionally, mentally, and even physically. It can lead to fractured relationships or just a
general sense of distrust. For those of us that claim to be Christians, we aren’t just
misrepresenting ourselves or a political party; when we do this, we are tarnishing the name
of Jesus. And as Christians, we don’t want that to be true of us because we want Jesus to be
glorified.

In our passage today, we are going to hear the words of John. He was writing to a group of
Christians that were confused and honestly exhausted by feeling as if they weren’t living an
authentic life with God. John is going to point them to the life and example of Jesus. Ultimately,
we will see that an authentic relationship with God means that we are obedient to God’s
commands. To claim that and then live otherwise is to lie to ourselves. It is like pretending to be
something that we’re not, and the only person we’re fooling is ourselves. Everyone else can see
through it. As we walk in obedience to God’s commands, God fills us with joy and a sense of
complete contentment that leaves us feeling complete.”

Authentically knowing God will be demonstrated through obedience to God’s commands, in
which Jesus is the ultimate model.