(1 John 3:1-14) See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
Reminder:
"praying effectively" involves knowing God's will. When we pray in His will (in His name), He
may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like,
or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!
It is God's will:
- that we see and understand how great God's love is for us, as He desires us to be His children, and made a way for that to happen by sacrificing Himself on a cross (3:1)
- that Jesus came to earth with the purpose to take away sin (3:3)
- that Jesus came to earth with the purpose to destroy the works of the devil, so that by Jesus' work on the cross and by His grace, all Christians are secure in their salvation for all eternity as children of God (3:8-9)
- that we make sure no one deceives us (3:7)
- that we are not surprised when we see the world hating us because of Jesus (3:13)
- that we try to live a pure life in Jesus, because He is the only way to make that possible (3:3)
- that we practice righteousness (3:7)
- that we love one another (3:11)
Today's prayer:
Protect me from evil, and keep me steadfast in Your word. Strengthen me and give me courage to live as I should, all in Your love and unity, and all to Your glory. Amen.
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