Saturday, March 29, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: 1 John 4-5
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 37
Key Verse
1 John 5:1 — “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.”
Devotional Thought
John writes to a scattered flock of believers who have already heard the word “antichrist” and trembled at it. False prophets have gone out into the world, teachers who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and the church is unsettled by them. So the aged apostle gives a test: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that refuses that confession is not. Then he steadies them with a promise they can carry into any argument or anxiety: “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
But John will not let discernment stand alone. From testing spirits he moves straight to love, because the God we are testing for is Himself love. He points to the cross as the proof: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” And from that fountain he draws the plain command, that the one who loves God must love his brother also. Love is not a mood but a family resemblance; the child should look like the Father.
Then the letter gathers everything into confidence. Three bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and three bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood. On that testimony John builds assurance: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” And with that assurance comes boldness in prayer, that if we ask according to His will, He hears us.
Psalm 37 sings the same tune from an older songbook. David tells us not to fret because of evildoers, who shall soon be cut down like the grass, but to trust, delight, commit, and rest in the LORD. The wicked plot and draw the sword, yet their sword shall enter into their own heart. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,” David writes, “and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”
That is where we live in late March, as winter loosens its grip and green begins to show. The grass that withers is the way of the world; the life that endures is in the Son. So this Saturday, keep yourselves from idols, and keep loving one another, for the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Reflection
- Where in your life are you fretting over the prosperity of the wicked or the noise of false teaching, and what would it look like today to commit that specific burden to the Lord and rest in Him?
- John says that if we do not love the brother we have seen, we cannot love the God we have not seen. Who is the brother or sister nearest to you right now, and what one act of love would make that confession true?
Prayer
Father, we thank You that You loved us first, before we ever loved You, and sent Your Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world; steady our hearts in that truth. Teach us to try the spirits and to hold fast to the confession that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. Cast out our fear with Your perfect love, and make us quick to love the brothers and sisters You have placed beside us. Order our steps this day, uphold us with Your hand, and let us rest in You. In the name of Your Son, Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 37:1 — “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.”