LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Wednesday 5th October 2022
ABIDE
Scripture Reading: 1 John 2
Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 1 John 2:24
John is the last surviving Apostle of Christ. He was there from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry through to the beginning of the Church’s ministry. At the time John was writing, many people were preaching all manner of messages in the name of Christ. Some even denied that Christ had lived a physical life.
The Apostle John encouraged the Christians to hold on to the original message preached by Christ and the first Apostles. He described that as the message from the beginning. John’s concerns then, must be our concern today.
Does the gospel continue to live in our lives? Are we continuing to live in the Son and in the Father? Is the gospel being lived out in our lives? Are we confessing Jesus Christ to be the Son of God? Do we really believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Are we letting Jesus Christ live His life out in us?
The scriptures charge us with these instructions.
• Let what you heard, abide in you. As Christians, we must remain grounded in God’s Word and not allow false teachings about Jesus to sway us off our faith. To do that, we must constantly read about the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must align our beliefs with what Jesus preached and our lives with His life.
• Abide in the Father and the Son We must have a relationship with the Father and with Christ. We must not replace Christ with our pastor or any other preacher. These days many have become followers of men and women of God without having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord enable you to daily abide in Him and in His word.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, draw me closer to yourself. Help me to remain true to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.