NorMel House Devotions

  Read 1 John 4 At first glance, chapter 4 may appear to be a repetition of things John had previously said. However, there is more to learn here. While John had warned against false prophets and teachers, he now tells us to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God." (1 John 4:1). He gives the reader a way to discern and recognize false teaching; those who deny that Christ came in the flesh are anti-christs. John also tells the reader that the world will follow its own, but God is greater than the world. True prophets speak from God and co fess that Jesus Christ was a true man and, at the same time, true God. John was not the only one to warn against false prophets. Paul also warned against them in 1 Timothy 4:1-2a, where he wrote, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars..." So how do we discern the truth? John says, ...

Read 1 John 3:11-24 The Bible tells us we are to love one another, and our text today is like a road map to doing so. In fact, it tells us that right from the beginning, we have been told to love one another. In the beginning, when God gave the law, He said, "Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself."(Levitcus 19:17-18). From these passages, we learn that acting out of hatred, or revenge, or bearing a grudge are not showing love. They are, in fact, the opposite of love! 1 John 3 even gives us an example when it tells us not to murder, like Cain, who was evil and jealous of his brother (1 John 3:12). What comes next is a reminder that the world will hate us for this (1 John 3:13). Jesus, Himself, said, "If you belong to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I hav...