December 6: 1 John 4 1-6

Key Verse: 1 John 4 5
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

Devotion:
These are the verses I turn to when I am reminded not to live according to the world, a letter written to John. This is not something new because of our modern world or because of technology or whatever else you want to blame things on – this is something that was prevalent in the times of Jesus and afterwards. We were born in it, brought up in it and live in it; so, it is little wonder then we are caught up in it and its ways. Let’s have a look at why we get caught up…

There are many things in our world which we do find funny and many which we find objectionable, but do we give thought to how others will feel if we had those things on display in our homes or lives? We should never do things which cause offense to others and certainly not if they take people away from God and His ways. Then there are those things which we think must be ok because so many people have them or are liking them – but that does not make it right!

We need to make sure what we do is in line with what God would have us to do. We have been given the scriptures so we can have a reference to find out what is good and what is not. It really is an invaluable recourse in our hands, one which is not used as often as it should be! We can use our bibles to make sure we are more in tune with Christ, but how often do we do that? Showing our support for the birth of Christ and His life will allow others to see there is a different way of living, one which does not mean giving in to all manner of questionable things in our lives!

The closer we draw to God, the more we realise we do not have to follow the world. Thankfully we do not have to rely on our own strength to break free from the trapping of the world – God will be with us every step of the way and strengthen us to resist giving in to the ways of the world too. Sometimes it is hard to wait on God, but we all have to learn just what He is capable of and we will only find that out by waiting for Him to answer our prayers and needs.

Points to Ponder:
Do you ever think about how your life affects others?

Will you ask God for guidance and strength to promote His life for you?