September 18, 2020

Like the gospel of John, the book of 1 John is filled with sharp contrasts: light and darkness, truth and falsehood, love and hate. In John’s mind, things are fairly black and white with little if any grey area. In refreshingly simple terms, John writes his first epistle in order to give the people of God a better understanding of how they can know that they are saved, how they can tell the difference between true and false believers. He calls the church to be in a state of continual growth in faith, in obedience, and in love; let’s heed that call together as a church as we read this letter!

John begins this chapter with a command for his audience to “test the spirits”, to discern between the kind of teaching and prophecy which comes from God and that which is of the world. The test seems simple enough: if the spirit in question does not confess Jesus as having come in the flesh and as the Son of the living God, it is not of God but of the antichrist. John elaborates by saying that all who listen to and affirm the teaching of the apostles are from God, and all who do not are of the world. In a world that increasingly attempts to blur the line between truth and falsehood, between the church and the world, between good and evil, we must be vigilant to test everything against the truth of God taught by the apostles and prophets and preserved for us in Scripture!

In this chapter John gives his other descriptor for God; in chapter one he said God is light, and here he asserts that God is love. This statement has been co-opted and abused by those who refuse to understand it rightly, but John makes it clear what kind of love he is talking about when he says that God is love; he is talking about the kind of love that sacrifices for the other, even to the point of dying on a cross for the sins of another. He is talking about the love of God towards us in Jesus Christ, a self-sacrificial, giving, others-centered love, and John tells us here that knowing and experiencing that love always leads us to love others as well.

When we experience the love of God towards us in Christ Jesus, it produces in us love for God and love for other people. We love because He first loved us!

1 John 4

Test the Spirits

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

God Is Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Family Discussion Question:

  • The love that God calls us to is a demonstrative love, love in action which puts others before itself. How are you demonstrating in your day to day life that the love of God abides in you?

18 thoughts on “Daily Devotional-September 18th”

  1. Good morning Father.

    The sun rises, and the sun sets, and you are always by my side. Thank you for another day.

    Father, you so loved the world you gave your only son as a sacrifice for even me. Forgive me for all the times I have failed you. Strengthen me to accomplish your will for me today.

    So many of my friends are hurting from physical pain, financial pain, from mental pain, and spiritual pain. Comfort each with your Holy Spirit. Whisper to them, “It will be O.K.”

    Oh, Heavenly Father, we need you so much. Send a Holy Ghost revival. I lift up lost souls to you today, call them to you by name. Open their ears to hear your call.

    Father, shine in all that I do, all that I think, all that I speak today. Fill me to over flowing with the Holy Spirit.

    Now, together, let’s be going and find another lost soul.

    For it is for and in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, that I lift this petition to you,

    Amen

    3. Gracias mi padre por tu palabra bendícela y ayúdame a perdonar y amar a todos nuestros hermanos a caminar por tu vía siguiendo tus pasos para no cometer pescados y amarnos unos a los otros como tú nos amaste aún siendo nosotros pescadores gracias mi padre por hoy gracias por tu amor y misericordia tuya es la gloria y nuestra la victoria en nombre y por amor de tu hijo amado amén ?

    4. AMEN and HALLELUJAH!!! I know with God my love will grow more and more everyday the closer I get to the Ga

  2. Amen and Amen. I rejoice in You Father. I praise and lift my voice to Your Son Jesus. The name above all names. Holy Spirit get the harvest ready and anoint the workers. I rejoice for Salvation is coming.

  3. Thank You Lord for this day. Thank You for loving me first. I thank You for opening my eyes so that You correct my sinful thoughts when I am quick to judge others in the world and help me see through Your eyes. Forgive me when I am quick to speak before I think. Thank You for holding my tongue., changing my perspective, and providing other ways to shine Your light. Thank You for Your wisdom and patience with me. I can love because You loved first. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

  6. Thank you Father for your unending love that continually pushes me every day to never give up because I know you are right by my side.

  9. Because of God’s love for me, I am able to love others. God has changed my thoughts and actions so much over the past few years, especially during the past few months so that I am able to see more clearly that I need to love God and others with an unchanging, unconditional love. I am so thankful that the Lord is always with me. He gives me the ability to do the things that He calls me to do. Thank You, Jesus’s!!!

  10. Heavenly Father,
    Thank you for your unconditional love and help me to love others the way you love me.

  11. If you can see the invisible, you can do the impossible because greater is He that is in you! Verse 4

  12. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15: 13

  13. Thank you Lord for revealing yourself, making truth so clearly known, and teaching us what love is through Jesus.

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