Devotional Day #20: 1 John 2:3-8

This Devotional message is part of the Clayton Church Value-Based Discipleship series, which was launched on Sunday 23 July 2017. View the series index here.

Passage: 1 John 2:3-8

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God[a] is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Scripture

The impact of verse 4 is particularly harsh and clear – disobedience will block belief and ultimately a relationship with God. There is no room for lukewarm Christians – God calls us to be hot or cold, preferably hot.

My Words

Retelling the story for someone else (you – my audience).

When we are obedient to Christ, His truths will resonant with our every being and we will taste and experience first-hand His heavenly peace. Should someone claim to know God/Jesus but remains out of step with his commandments, they are only fooling themselves. When we are obedient to God’s word and live out the commandment to love one another, God working in the believer’s life becomes clear. The communion and unity we have in Christ becomes itself fruit which reinforces our identity in Him.

Dearly beloved believers, all the commandments from the days of Moses through to now have been written off the same cloth; consistent and reinforcing of each other. In this spirit, the command to love another is new yet not so new since you have heard the heart-beat of God through the ages. As Jesus brings to the world His true light, the darkness can only retreat and hide in the sheer presence of His truth and love, which shines clearly and brightly through us as the body of Christ.

What I Discovered

The above retelling of 1 John is jam-packed with my insights; written to really drive home the truths that manifest:

  1. God’s love and commandments have been consistent from the start
  2. When we love and obey His commandments, we have community/communion and unity in the body
  3. Our fellowship among believers is fruit – an outward sign of God’s love
  4. God’s truth is the Light to the world bring truth, grave and love to all.
  5. Believers are called to be faithful and obedient to His commands – lukewarm Christians simply do not make His Holy standard.

Obedience Step

“I Will”

I will be obedient to the commandments of God.

Then sings my soul
Then sings my soul
How great Your love is
How great Your love is

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