Verse: 1 John 3:23-24
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Devotion
Many times, I wake up and start my morning with the thought, “What should I do today?” Often, I find myself asking on a larger scale, “What should I be doing with my life?” Sometimes, the answers to those questions comes easily, but usually, the answers are challenging for me. When I was little, my parents helped to answer those questions. As I have grown older, my teachers and my bosses have provided direction. Yet, many times, I still feel the challenge in my heart.
Fortunately, in these verses, John provides me, and you, with an excellent answer. The direction is simple – follow God’s command to believe in Jesus; love each other with a love that is willing to give up everything. Simple, yet no easy task.
Each of us must decide if we will follow the direction that we have received from God here in these verses of John’s book. Sometimes, when we feel close to Jesus, it is easy to follow the command to believe in Him and to love others. Other times, we feel far away from God and it is difficult. It becomes tough to love those around us that we don’t like or who are unkind and unloving to us.
Thankfully, as John writes here, God gave us his Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts in an amazing way. When we tell God that we are willing to listen, the Holy Spirit will guide us. When we pray and ask, He give us counsel in a way that our heart knows what we should do. And when it seems hard to hear His voice, we know that as we take steps forward, He will open or close doors of opportunity along the way.
For example, time and time again, when I have felt confused about the path in life that I should take, or have felt distant from God, the Holy Spirit brings along an opportunity for me. That opportunity most often starts with a chance to be loving and kind to someone else. Even in my confusion, helping someone else makes sense. I know from past experience how Jesus has helped me and saved me from my sins. Once I walk out that chance to love someone else, I know and feel the love of God in my heart. That love from the Holy Spirit then guides me back to His command – love Jesus and love others. That is the answer that I need. I may not immediately know every answer to every question in my mind. Yet, I know that I’m following God’s direction for today – to trust in Jesus to guide me and to follow His example of love for others. God gave command, He knows the answers, and I can rely on Him.
Prayer
Father, help us to follow your command in order to do your will. Thank you for your Son, Jesus, who died for us, rose to life again, and lives to help us today. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who lives inside of us and guides us. Please help us to share your love with everyone around us. In your name, Amen.
Author: Chris Fraser
Recent Comments