DAY13 The Real Thing
Today’s Bible Reading
1 John 2:3-11
If anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know that we are in him. - 1 John 2:5
When was the last time you bought something that looked good, even though you knew it wasn’t the real thing? How about ‘top-brand’ sunglasses that are really just knock-off fashion lenses (without any ability to protect from the sun)? Or ‘designer’ clothes that are actually impressive (and cheap!) fakes?
John wrote his first letter in the Bible to encourage Christians not to just look like real Christians, but to prove they are genuine by how they live. The evidence that our trust in Jesus is real is not found in some mystical experience with God. The proof that we truly know and love God is that we follow Him, spend time with Him and read the Bible. John writes, “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:5-6).
If we say that we have been transformed by the gospel and know and love God, we should show it to be the real thing by our obedience to the Bible.
By Mike Wittmer
Questions:
1. What is the first test for Christian authenticity found in 1 John 2:3-6?
2. What is the second test for Christian authenticity found in 1 John 2:9-11?
3. Evaluate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 according to these two tests. Are you closer to a real (10/10) or fake (1/10) Christian? How can you become more real and less fake in the coming week?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me to take in Your Word by hearing, reading, studying, memorising, and meditating on it. Help me to love you and obey your Word, to become more and more real as a Christian. In Jesus’ name, Amen.