Wednesday evenings in my childhood was "Prayer Meeting" time. Devout members of our congregation gathered in the church basement for bible study, testimony and prayer. My father was the pastor. I sat with my mother and older brother. When sleep overtook attention, my mother's soft arm made a wonderful pillow. But the testimony time caught my attention most. The pastor invited members to share with the group something of their Christian experience. With a little prompting, the people obliged. There were some that seemed to carry genuine repentance and faith, and there were others that seemed filled with repetition and self-righteousness.
The pastor who authored I John said that, though the testimony of people may be helpful, the testimony of God is the one that really matters. God has declared through Jesus—through his life, death and resurrection—God's encompassing love for us and for the world. Whoever has Jesus, God's Son, has life. Whoever does not have Jesus, does not have life. And "having" Jesus depends not on anything we do. Rather, Jesus is God's great gift to us through baptism and through daily renewal by God's Spirit...all of this so that you may know that you have eternal life. Thanks be to God!
