January 5: 1 John 3:11-15

Key Verse: 1 John 3:12
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.

Devotion:
How many times have you been told or heard someone say “Don’t be like them”? We all do tend to judge people by the actions they do and the lives they live which raises a question; is it right to judge people? If you are comparing them to others you are probably not judging them per-say but comparing them to the life God would prefer us to live.

The message behind these verses is to love one another and the story of Cain is being used as an example of how we should not live! Cain became jealous of his brother through what his mother was feeding him and his own feelings. He was being influenced by the people around him and the environment; again the message here is to identify these sort of things in our lives so we can avoid ending up like Cain!

If we focus on our own lives and the things we do, we are going to be able to accept guidance from the Holy Spirit much easier than if we are being influenced by our surroundings and peers. If we feel like we cannot escape from these trappings then we should probably live in an environment that is encouraging rather than discouraging and righteous rather than evil.

In short, it takes some actions from you to move in the right direction in your life. Don’t expect others to do everything for you or to guide you in everything – because they may be influenced themselves. Rather try to listen to righteous guidance from someone righteous: the Holy Spirit!

Points to Ponder:
Who influences you the most in life?

How much do you invite the Holy Spirit to join you in life?

January 4: 1 John 3:7-10

Key Verse: 1 John 3:8
The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

Devotion:
If we look at the world around us we can see how easy it is to give in to temptation and do all the wrong things in life. As Christians we know we are doing wrong so should want to avoid all the things we know are wrong; but the evil one continues to throw doubts in our minds so we give in to the temptations instead of working against them – this is the way of the evil one!

Jesus came to destroy the devil’s work and give us a better chance at avoiding the evil things promoted by the evil one. When we accept Jesus into our lives we also invite the holy spirit to live with us. By doing this we have an automatic guide against all evil things because the Holy Spirit does not want to have any evil in us when we are living with Him!

When we do good and abhor evil we allow the people around us to see we are different from the world because of our communion with Christ. We live for Him and work against the evil in the world. But if we continue to invite evil into our lives then we are working with the evil one and against God! We know this and become aware of this because the Holy Spirit prompts us against all evil.

So, don’t allow the evil one to continue introducing evil into your life. Simply say no and keep Christ closer!

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel guilty when you do something wrong?

Do you know the Holy Spirit is prompting you?

January 3: John 1:29-34

Key Verse: John 1:31
I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.

Devotion:
We all get to do something for God because of what Christ has done for us all. None of us are excluded from being able to do something for God! We may get to talk to thousands of people about Jesus, or we may only get to plant a seed in someone’s heart which Christ will germinate and cultivate; but we all get to do something somewhere.

For John it was the thing He was raised to be – the person who would make sure people got to hear more about the Messiah and even to introduce Him to the people who were there on that day. John did not take the credit for anything he had done, nor did he brag about things he was doing – he simply told the people the truth and allowed Jesus to do the rest.

I hope we all have a wonderful relationship with Christ whereby we can feel comfortable about talking to others and telling them how wonderful our relationship is. You see, when you tell someone you have a good life with Christ, they want to know more about this ‘good life’ because they may be lacking something in their lives.

For all the things he had done before Jesus came to be baptised, God blessed John with a vision which he fully understood and allowed him to grow even closer to God. When we do things for God, no matter how small, God will always reward us in some way so we can become stronger and do more each day. I love being a Christian!

Points to Ponder:
Are you ready to start the ball rolling with God?

Do you know nothing is impossible with Christ?