By Lee Lee Dart — When I was 5 years old, I would help my grandfather on his farm in Texas to pick strawberries. He would tell me to only pick the ripe ones. I was a child who was a pleaser and wanted to get things just right, so I would ask him after I picked each one “Is this one ripe?” This desire to pick right has carried me all the way through adulthood. As a life-long Adventist and now a pastor, I long to please my heavenly Father in all I do and say. I have been blessed by my Adventist tribe in so many ways and thank God for the beautiful picture I have come to know of Christ through our beliefs.
But I have also struggled with the overemphasis we have had in our denomination on being deceived. This unfortunately led to focusing on which ones are the spiritual “bad strawberries”. And it took my eyes off the beautiful ripe ones. It brought more fear of deception in my relationship with Christ resulting in my asking over and over “Is this a deception, God?”
This is why I have treasured the writings of John, the disciple. I believe he must have related to this fear as well. Over and over in the Book of 1 John are these words, “This is how we know.” This phrase is music to my ears. John is teaching us HOW to know what is right and what isn’t. He gives us the foundation of discernment and it boils down to knowing Jesus. If you have Jesus, the Son, you have life and light and will never walk in darkness. If you believe in Jesus and are filled with His Spirit, you will not be deceived. In fact, you will do right, live as Jesus lived, and obey His word. If you remain in Christ, you will keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome; they are a delight. You will not approach the throne of God in fear, but in confidence. Your mutual relationship of love, founded and grounded in His love for you, will result in deeply loving mankind and the desire to lift up humanity.
My lifelong desire to pick right has changed to my lifelong desire to know Him. And my focus on knowing Him has been a spiritual game-changer for me. I can walk with Christ and follow the Lamb wherever He goes, in freedom, confidence and security. The beautiful God I have come to appreciate through our doctrines is now the beautiful God I have come to know personally.
—Lee Lee Dart is lead pastor of The Adventure Adventist Church in Greeley, Colorado
