June 17 - 1 John 3:7-10. Righteous

June 17 - 1 John 3:7-10. Righteous

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

What does righteousness mean to you?

What does doing right mean to you?

Who are the sinners that you find yourself surrounded by?

Can you identify the children of God or the children of the devil?

I write these words and know that it is me who is the sinner.

No. I can’t identify who belongs to God or the devil. Because sometimes those who do good work in the world, go home and beat the hell out of their wives and children. Those who go to church every Sunday steal a little from their workplace every day.  It just isn’t that easy anymore and every time I think I have it right, I find out that I’m all wrong.

I can’t stand in judgment of people around me.

The one thing I can see and the one thing I can judge is how we treat each other.

Doing right starts by loving each other … being righteous is found in love.

We can’t limit it to those with whom we surround ourselves, or those who are safe, or those who do things the way we like to do things or those who go to church. We can’t limit it at all.

Loving our brother and sister … Jesus said we were to love our neighbor … and by neighbor, he meant everyone.

That’s where we find righteousness.  In love.