WEEK 15 MEMORY VERSE:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
1 John 3:16

Friday, June 26, 2009
1 John 3:21-24
God Living in Us
The life of the believing, confident, obedient, loving follower of Christ is here linked inextricably to the presence of the Lord within us. John says that those who obey his commands do so not because they have a higher commitment level, more willpower, a better background, or better training in the things of God. They obey because of the presence of God in their lives in the person of the Holy Spirit. We often use the phrase “asking Jesus into your heart” to describe the experience of becoming a follower of Christ and being forgiven of sin. In reality, Jesus comes into our hearts through the person of the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in our lives when we are saved. The awesome reality that God himself lives within us should be our explanation for every change for the good that happens in our character, every act of obedience that we perform, and every expression of genuine love for others that emerges from our lives. We deserve no credit for such things, and our relationship with God is NOT dependent on our ability to produce them. Rather, their presence in our lives is a direct result of our relationship with Christ and the Spirit’s presence within us. Give him praise today for this awesome reality, and give him access to your heart and life to truly produce great fruit through you.

Prayer Starter:
Lord, thank you for living within me, changing me, and enabling me to obey you and to love other people. Help me to get out of your way even more today, and to allow your divine life to permeate all my actions and words, that others may b touched by your love through me.