Focus

Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.

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Read

1 John 2:3-11 (NRSV)

Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

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Reflect

Do you ever have days when you think it would be so much easier if being faithful, if being a Christian was only about your relationship with God? I’m not proud of it, but I’ll admit it. There are days when I think if this life of faith was only about God and me, that would work just fine.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this theme, but one of the things I’ve noticed when I read scripture is that I can’t get very far with this God and me stuff. God is always bringing other people into it. Somehow my faithfulness is connected to my relationship with my neighbor. Here it is again in First John. I can’t be in the light if I don’t love my co-worker, the students I work with, my snoopy neighbor, the person who voted differently from me, and even Auburn fans. Yet, that is what our faith demands of us…to rely on one another…to love one another…to live life with one another.

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Pray

God of love and light, give us the energy, the courage, and the capacity to love one another as you have loved us. Amen.

Go with God.