READING: Ezekiel 45-46, 1 John 2
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”
1 John 2:2
Today is one of those days when the text of the day led me to read more of the book. So, I am extending this devotion over the entirety of the book of 1 John, primarily because of the question John answers: “How do I know if I’m genuinely a Christian?” This question is a critical one, and John gives us a grid through which to evaluate our lives:
- “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7). The true believer lives in the light, thus hiding no secret sin.
- “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:2-3). The genuine believer truly knows and follows God’s Word.
- “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14). The genuine believer loves the people of God.
- “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13). The genuine believer has the Spirit of God in him, and he responds to His conviction and His guidance.
- “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. . . . For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:2-4). The genuine believer keeps God’s commandments and does not let the world win in his life.
I know I’m a Christian, but these texts challenge me as well today. I know I must read the Word, live the Word, listen to the Spirit of God when I’m not living the Word, love the people of God, and reject the ways of the world. If I claim to be His, my life must show it.
ACTION STEPS:
- Use these texts to evaluate your own life today.
- Confess and repent as needed in light of these texts.
PRAYER: “God, help me to live openly and fully for Your glory.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 47-48, 1 John 3
