Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

January 24
Thursday


LIKE JESUS

READ:
1 John 2:5-11
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He who says he abides
in [Jesus] ought himself
also to walk just as He
walked. __1 Him 2:6
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During a children's church service, the teacher talked about the first of the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:3). She suggested some ways for the kids to keep this command. She said, "Nothing should come before God--not candy, not schoolwork, not video games." She told them that putting God first meant that time with HIm reading the Bible and praying should come before anything else.

An older child in the group responded with a thought-provoking question. She asked if being a Christian was about keeping rules or if instead God wanted to be involved in all areas of our life.

Sometimes we make the mistake of viewing the Bible as a list of rules. Certainly obeying God (John 14:21) and spending time with Him are important, but not because we need to be rule-keepers. Jesus and the Father had a loving relationship. When we have a relationship with God, we desire to spend time with Him and obey Him so we can become more like Jesus. John said, "He who says he abides in [Jesus] ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6). He's the example we can follow.

When we want to understand how to love, or how to be humble, or how to have faith, or even how to set our priorities, we can look at Jesus and follow His heart. __Anne Cetas
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Jesus calls us to follow Him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Today's Bible Reading __ 1 John 2:5-11~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5 But whoever keeps His
word, truly the love of God
is perfected in him. By this
we know that we are in
Him. 6 He who says he
abides in Him ought
himself also to walk just as
He walked.

7 Brethren, I write no new
commandment to you, but
an old commandment
which you have had from
the beginning. The old
commandment is the word
which you heard from the
beginning. 8 Again, a new
commandment I write to
you, which thing is true in
Him and in you, because
the darkness is passing
away, and the true light is
already shining.

9 He who says he is in the
light, and hates his brother,
is in darkness until now.

10 He who loves his brother
abides in the light, and
there is no cause for
stumbling in him. 11 But he
who hates his brother is in
darkness and walks in
darkness, and does not
know where he is going,
because the darkness has
blinded his eyes.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hours before Jesus went to the cross, He spoke to His disciples
about "a new commandment" to "love one another" (John 13:34).
But the requirement to love was not new; God had commanded the
Israelites to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). What was
new was the standard of loving: "As I have loved you, that you also
love one another" (John13:34). Instead of walking "in darkness," we
are to "walk in the light as He is in the light" (1 John 1:6). We are
to love each other with the love modeled by Jesus.