We Live a Holy Life Because the Holy Spirit is in Us (1 John 3:9-10)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-31-04

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  We live a holy life because the Holy Spirit is in us

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 3:9 & 10

 

            Message of the verse:  “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.”  (NASB95)

“9 People conceived and brought into life by God don’t make a practice of sin. How could they? God’s seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It’s not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin.  10 Here’s how you tell the difference between God’s children and the Devil’s children: The one who won’t practice righteous ways isn’t from God, nor is the one who won’t love brother or sister. A simple test.”  (Message)

            The seed that John is writing about in this section is the new nature that God gives to all who trust Him as Savior and Lord, and once a person is given this new nature he will not want to sin.  It is good to remember that all true believers have two natures that live within them and only one of them has a desire to do what God’s will is for them, the other one only wants to do wrong things.  It is also important to remember that the one who is feed the most will dominate the life of the believer.

            John contrasts the true believer with the non-believer in verse ten: the children of God will live a righteous life because of their new nature and because the Spirit of God lives within them, and the children of the devil will not practice righteousness, and this will show because they do not love their Christian brothers.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on these verses, he points out that these verses are not written for the believer to judge and see if a person is a believer or not, other than themselves.  As believers we are told to check and make sure that we are in the faith.  It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict people, and sometimes I forget that it is His job and not mine.

 

The Word of God has brought conviction to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to show us how to get ready for this trip, and also trust the Lord to give us the grace we need in living in another country for two and a half months.  To also trust the Lord, so that I can be a help to HRSG in getting this job done on time, and that I can be a blessing to those I work with.  Also that I may see the importance of doing things correctly and following directions of those in charge of this job.