28And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
- P36
The apostle John instructs his readers to continue in Christ so that they willbe confident when He returns. He invites them to consider the great loveGod lavishes on believers by calling them His children. In view of this love,
believers are called to do what is right and to love one another. - P38
Those whoare truly God‘s children will reflect their Father‘s character. Christians todayface countless influences that normalize all kinds of sin or wrongly redefinelove. This can make it more difficult to practice God‘s commands and eas-ier to give in to sin. Just as John warned of those who practice lawlessnesswhile claiming to follow Christ, we too must discern between the ways ofthe world and the ways of God. - P38
Let us pursue righteousness by abiding inthe Son of God who came to destroy Satan‘s power over us. In doing so, wereveal our identity as God‘s children. - P38
Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing us close to the Father. Help us keep ourhope in You and strengthen us to remain faithful as we wait for the daywhen we will see You and become like You. In Your name, amen. - P39
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