We Have Passed From Death To Life
This
is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil
are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who
does not love their brother and sister.
For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should
love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and
murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were
evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and
sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to
life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no
murderer has eternal life residing in him.
This
is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we
ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has
material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on
them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love
with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:10-18
It
is our actions that are important, not our words. When that happens we become
children of God. We accept Jesus. We have died one life to begin another, a new
person.
As
Christians we are sometimes judged as being hypocritical, harsh, and unloving
toward people who are not like ourselves.
We
are either followers of Jesus Christ or of the devil.
We are like either Cain or Abel. Love of others is what proves we are genuine
children of God. We can’t continue to practice sin and claim to be followers of
Christ. Let’s always make sure our words and deeds back up our beliefs.
Following Christ has two requirements: Believing, and acting
like you do.
Our Daily Bread –