Scripture text for Friday, May 14th, 2010: 1 John 3:11-4:21
Full Text Online | Listen Online
“He’s got his foot over on my side!” “Mom, he’s been in my room again!” “Dad, he just took my mitt.” Anyone with a sibling knows you would not always describe the relationship using the word “love”. Of course sibling squabbles are a far cry from the evil that came into Cain’s relationship with his brother Abel. Christ calls us to love not only our siblings but all of our brothers and sisters in humanity regardless of our differences, our frustration, anger, or impatience. Can you imagine the frustration Christ must have continually felt with His disciples? Their humanness, their imperfections, their sinful nature, their lack of faith; and yet, He loves. He loves us so much that he made the ultimate sacrifice of dying for our sins that we may have eternal life in Him. And what does he ask of us? Is it so much to love Him and to also love one another? We will stumble and we will fall but His love and His grace never waver. Our obedience is evidence that the Holy Spirit resides in us.
“Loving God means keeping his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world and we achieve this victory through our faith.” 1 John 5:3-4 (New Living Translation)
Devotion prepared by Joyce Christopher