Year 6, Day 239: 1 John 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Calling

• Calling asks whether or not God has called the person to the particular work at this point in their life.

1 John 5 is a very interesting chapter.  In this chapter, we hear a very familiar set of messages.  John is writing this because He wants us to know God’s love.  We know that we are in God when we obey His commandments.  In this we hear the echoes of themes such as Father and obedience.

However, as we finish this chapter I am most drawn to the idea of calling.  Let’s start with the familiar theme of obedience.  What are we called to do?  We are called to obey.  We are called to listen to God and follow His example.

But we’re called to do more than that.  If we see a fellow believer falling into sin, we should reach out to them and try and dissuade them from their actions.  While we cannot force others to keep from sinning, we are called to be there to help them resist the temptation to sin.

However, there is still more.  We are called to know truth.  In knowing truth, we can also know who is true.  In other words, we are to be discerning.

In the end, what are we really called to do?  We are called to overcome the world in faith.  We are called to overcome the world in our obedience.  We are called to overcome the world like Jesus, and like Jesus, we are called to step forth into a brave new godly existence.

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