BIBLE READING FOR 2DAY Tuesday 15/07/14 1 John 3 New Living Translation (NLT) Living As Children Of God 1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world dont recognize that we are Gods children because they dont know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already Gods children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins is breaking Gods law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. 7 Dear children, dont let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into Gods family do not make a practice of sinning, because Gods life is in them. So they cant keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. Love One Another 11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So dont be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers dont have eternal life within them. 16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can Gods love be in that person? 18 Dear children, lets not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if we dont feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey Gods commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. LESSONS FOR 2DAY: Vs 12, 13: Cain killed his brother, Abel, when God accepted Abels offering and not his (Gen 4:1-16). Abels offering showed that Cain was not giving his best to God, and Cains jealous anger drove him to murder. People who are morally upright expose and shame those who arent. If we live for God, the world will often hate us, because we make them painfully aware of their immoral way of living. How often do you experience opposition from the world, do you even experience it at all? Are you morally upright? Do you live for God? Answer and know of a truth whether ye be of God. Vs 15-18: John echoes Jesus teaching that whoever hates another person is a murderer at heart (Matt 5:21, 22). Christianity is a religion of the heart; outward compliance alone is not enough. Bitterness against someone who has wronged you is an evil cancer within you and will eventually destroy you. Dont let a poisonous root of bitterness (Heb 12:15) grow in you or your church. Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. How can we give up our lives? By serving others, with no thought of receiving anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say well die for others than to truly live for them - this involves putting others desires first. Jesus taught this same principle of love in John 15:13. These verses give an example of how to give up our life for others - to help those in need. This is strikingly similar to James teaching (James 2:14-17). How clearly do your actions say you really love others? Are you as generous as you should be with your money, possessions, and time? This is the word of the Lord. You will succeed in Jesus’ name. Please continue to follow us on Facebook TheseLiesMustStop and Twitter @LiesMustStop; share our Posts and invite your friends to Like the Facebook page. E-mail: [email protected].
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 06:23:09 +0000
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