1 John 3:20 [20] For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. No matter how hard we try, we do not live up to our own expectations, let alone God’s. The same heart that can give us assurance, as we read in the previous verse, can also fill us with guilt. Our heart can condemn us to the point that we live in defeat. This proves a very important principle for every believer. The heart is not to be ignored, but it is not to be the final authority either.  Fact, faith, …

1 John 3:19 [19] And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. Our salvation is assured by the Word of God, the Work of Christ, and the Witness of the Spirit. The deeds that we do are by no means the foundation of our salvation, but they do assure our hearts that faith has taken root in our lives. It has been said many times that, “works do not produce faith, but that genuine faith does produce works.” The bottom line is, that when we are truly saved, we will have …

1 John 3:18 [18] My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. A Christian’s love should always be love in action. This is the exhortation in our text. If we say we love, and never put our words into motion, they are just empty words. So many today know how to talk the talk, but do not walk the walk. This is discouraging to other believers, deceptive to the one doing the talking, and nothing more than hypocrisy to a lost world. We should note that if a blind world …

1 John 3:17 [17] But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? I do not think the two words that make up the title for this devotional go together. That is why you see the question marks that follow it. From what he has written in this verse, John obviously felt the same way. The truth is, that you cannot be a Christian, and live a stingy life. Christianity is all about giving, not keeping. Jesus taught us that …

1 John 3:16 [16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. When I look at this verse, I see three key thoughts within it. First, I see a perception; second, a price; and third, a principle. Allow me to share each of these with you for our devotional thought.  First, we consider the perception in the first phrase. The word “perception” means to be aware of, or to see. We are aware of the love of God, and can see his …

1 John 3:15 [15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. I would like for us to reflect on the first word of our verse. This is a word that reaches all four corners of the globe, and includes each individual soul. The word “whosoever” is a wonderful word when placed in verses like John 5:24 or Romans 10:13. However, when placed in this particular verse, it does not speak of the positive for man, but rather the evil.  I would call the “whosoever” in this verse a …

1 John 3:14 [14] We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. A great study through I John would be to research all of the verses that reveal the marks of genuine salvation. After all, that is the reason John is writing this epistle. Perhaps we will begin that study when we complete this devotional book. Here is one verse that marks true salvation in the life of a believer. A true child of God will love the brethren. This is not a love …

1 John 3:13 [13] Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.  I like the fact that this is a small verse with so much to say. John begins by saying, “marvel not”. In plain Georgia language, that means do not be surprised. Does it ever surprise you to see what surprises many Christians today?  This verse has one of those kind of surprises in it.  John is speaking to saved people, and tells them not to be surprised if the world hates Christians. This makes perfectly good sense, seeing that the world is the enemy of God. The …

1 John 3:12 [12] Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.  Have you ever wondered why Cain slew his brother? Abel had never attempted to hurt Cain, or do him wrong. He was no threat to him. In fact, Abel loved Cain. The two of them had grown up, played, worked and worshipped God together. They shared many precious memories with each other. Then one day it was all destroyed in a field, when Cain slew Abel with a …

1 John 3:11 [11] For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. The admonishment in our text is to love one another. How much better would our world be today if believers practiced this verse daily? When I look at this verse, I see three reasons why we should love one another. Allow me to share them with you briefly.  The first reason is, because this is the message. This is what our verse says to each one of us. This is not John’s message, but this is God’s message. Every …