A Proverb & Prayer for the 14th of September

Proverbs 14
1 The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
Lord, Help me to build up my house not only with the tasks I complete each day though
I know they play their part but also with my thoughts, tone, tongue, and my touch. May I build up those with whom you bless me.

2 He whose walk is upright fears the LORD,
but he whose ways are devious despises him.
Lord, May I stoop humbly before You knowing that You will create in me a clean heart so that I might stand before You prepared to be sent. I praise you and I surrender daily to sit at your feet with head in lap trusting that Your sabbath with bring rest.

Daily Psalm for May 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Wisdom

A 3 minute read aloud.
Truly full!

Wisdom Is Supreme
1 Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.

2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.

3 When I was a boy in my father's house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,

4 he taught me and said,
"Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live.

5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or swerve from them.

6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.

7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, [a] get understanding.

8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.

9 She will set a garland of grace on your head
and present you with a crown of splendor."

10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.

11 I guide you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.

13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.

14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.

16 For they cannot sleep till they do evil;
they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.

17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.

18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.

23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

24 Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Make level paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.

27 Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.

Cultivating Contentment

Though the fig does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop falls and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go to the heights.
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them,
to accept his lot, and be happy in his work- this is a gift of God.
He seldom reflects on the days of his life,
because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:19, 20

2 Peter 1: 12-20

Prophecy of Scripture
12So I will always remind you of these things,
even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.
13I think it is right to refresh your memory
as long as I live in the tent of this body,
14because I know that I will soon put it aside,
as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
15And I will make every effort to see that
after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

16We did not follow cleverly invented stories
when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory,
saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven
when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19And we have the word of the prophets made more certain,
and you will do well to pay attention to it,
as to a light shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20Above all, you must understand
that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.
21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man,
but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:1-11

1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness
of our God and Savior Jesus Christ
have received a faith as precious as ours:

2Grace and peace be yours in abundance
through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Making One's Calling and Election Sure
3His divine power has given us everything we need
for life and godliness through our knowledge of him
who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4Through these he has given us
his very great and precious promises,
so that through them you may participate in the divine nature
and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5For this very reason, make every effort
to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
6and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
7and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love.
8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9But if anyone does not have them,
he is nearsighted and blind,
and has forgotten that he has been cleansed
from his past sins.

10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to
make your calling and election sure.
For if you do these things, you will never fall,
11and you will receive a rich welcome
into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 5

To Elders and Young Men
1To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder,
a witness of Christ's sufferings
and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:
2Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care,
serving as overseers—not because you must,
but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;
not greedy for money, but eager to serve;
3not lording it over those entrusted to you,
but being examples to the flock.
4And when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

5Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older.
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility
toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time.
7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
9Resist him, standing firm in the faith,
because you know that your brothers throughout the world
are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10And the God of all grace,
who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you
and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings
12With the help of Silas,
whom I regard as a faithful brother,
I have written to you briefly,
encouraging you and testifying
that this is the true grace of God.
Stand fast in it.
13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you,
sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.
14Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

1 Peter 4

Living for God
1Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude,
because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
2As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life
for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
3For you have spent enough time in the past
doing what pagans choose to do—
living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness,
orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
4They think it strange that you do not plunge
with them into the same flood of dissipation,
and they heap abuse on you.
5But they will have to give account to him
who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
6For this is the reason the gospel was preached
even to those who are now dead,
so that they might be judged according to men
in regard to the body,
but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

7The end of all things is near.
Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.
8Above all, love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins.
9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
11If anyone speaks, he should do it
as one speaking the very words of God.
If anyone serves, he should do it
with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised
through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffering for Being a Christian
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial
you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,
so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ,
you are blessed,
for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15If you suffer,
it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal,
or even as a meddler.
16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed,
but praise God that you bear that name.
17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God;
and if it begins with us,
what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

19So then, those who suffer according to God's will
should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

1 Peter 3:1-22

Wives and Husbands
1Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands
so that, if any of them do not believe the word,
they may be won over
without words by the behavior of their wives,
2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment,
such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
4Instead, it should be that of your inner self,
the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is of great worth in God's sight.
5For this is the way the holy women of the past
who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.
They were submissive to their own husbands,
6like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.
You are her daughters if you do what is right
and do not give way to fear.

7Husbands, in the same way be considerate
as you live with your wives,
and treat them with respect as the weaker partner
and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life,
so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good
8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another;
be sympathetic, love as brothers,
be compassionate and humble.
9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult,
but with blessing,
because to this you were called
so that you may inherit a blessing.
10For, "Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?
14But even if you should suffer for what is right,
you are blessed.
"Do not fear what they fear;
do not be frightened."
15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone
who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect,
16keeping a clear conscience,
so that those who speak maliciously
against your good behavior in Christ
may be ashamed of their slander.
17It is better, if it is God's will,
to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
18For Christ died for sins once for all,
the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the body
but made alive by the Spirit,
19through whom also he went
and preached to the spirits in prison
20who disobeyed long ago
when God waited patiently
in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.
In it only a few people, eight in all,
were saved through water,
21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—
not the removal of dirt from the body
but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.
It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22who has gone into heaven
and is at God's right hand—
with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

1 Peter 2:13-25

Submission to Rulers and Masters
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake
to every authority instituted among men:
whether to the king, as the supreme authority,
14or to governors,
who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong
and to commend those who do right.
15For it is God's will that by doing good
you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
16Live as free men,
but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;
live as servants of God.
17Show proper respect to everyone:
Love the brotherhood of believers,
fear God, honor the king.

18Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect,
not only to those who are good and considerate,
but also to those who are harsh.
19For it is commendable
if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering
because he is conscious of God.
20But how is it to your credit
if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?
But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it,
this is commendable before God.
21To this you were called,
because Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example,
that you should follow in his steps.
22"He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth."
23When they hurled their insults at him,
he did not retaliate;
when he suffered, he made no threats.
Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
by his wounds you have been healed.
25For you were like sheep going astray,
but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 2 : 1-12

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,
hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,
so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—
rejected by men but chosen by God
and precious to him—
5 you also, like living stones,
are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame."
7 Now to you who believe,
this stone is precious.
But to those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone," 8 and,
"A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall."
They stumble because they disobey the message—
which is also what they were destined for.

9 But you are a chosen people,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are the people of God;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.

11 Dear friends, I urge you,
as aliens and strangers in the world,
to abstain from sinful desires,
which war against your soul.
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong,
they may see your good deeds
and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1 Peter 1:13-25

Be Holy
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action;
be self-controlled;
set your hope fully on the grace to be given you
when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14As obedient children,
do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
15But just as he who called you is holy,
so be holy in all you do;
16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

17Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially,
live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
18For you know that it was not with perishable things
such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from
the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,
19but with the precious blood of Christ,
a lamb without blemish or defect.
20He was chosen before the creation of the world,
but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
21Through him you believe in God,
who raised him from the dead and glorified him,
and so your faith and hope are in God.

22Now that you have purified yourselves
by obeying the truth
so that you have sincere love for your brothers,
love one another deeply, from the heart.
23For you have been born again,
not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,
through the living and enduring word of God.

24For,
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25but the word of the Lord stands forever."
And this is the word that was preached to you.

1 Peter 1:1-12

1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God's elect, strangers in the world,
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
for obedience to Jesus Christ
and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Praise to God for a Living Hope

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new birth
into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—
kept in heaven for you,
5who through faith are shielded by God's power
until the coming of the salvation
that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6In this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while
you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7These have come so that your faith
—of greater worth than gold,
which perishes even though refined by fire—
may be proved genuine and may result
in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now,
you believe in him
and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
9for you are receiving the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.

10Concerning this salvation,
the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you,
searched intently and with the greatest care,
11trying to find out the time and circumstances
to which the Spirit of Christ in them
was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ
and the glories that would follow.
12It was revealed to them that
they were not serving themselves but you,
when they spoke of the things that have now been told you
by those who have preached the gospel to you
by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
Even angels long to look into these things.

3 John

1The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and
that all may go well with you, even
as your soul is getting along well.
3It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and
tell about your faithfulness to the truth and
how you continue to walk in the truth.
4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers,
even though they are strangers to you.
6They have told the church about your love.
You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.
7It was for the sake of the Name that they went out,
receiving no help from the pagans.
8We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men
so that we may work together for the truth.

9I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first,
will have nothing to do with us.
10So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing,
gossiping maliciously about us.
Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers.
He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

11Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.
Anyone who does what is good is from God.
Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
12Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself.
We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

13I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.
14I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

2 John

1The elder,
To the chosen lady and her children, whom
I love in the truth—and not I only, but
also all who know the truth -
2because of the truth, which lives in us and
will be with us forever:

3Grace, mercy and peace from
God the Father and from
Jesus Christ, the Father's Son,
will be with us in truth and love.

4It has given me great joy to
find some of your children walking in the truth,
just as the Father commanded us.
5And now, dear lady,
I am not writing you a new command but
one we have had from the beginning.
I ask that we love one another.
6And this is love: that
we walk in obedience to his commands.
As you have heard from the beginning,
his command is that you walk in love.

7Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge
Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have
gone out into the world.
Any such person is the deceiver and
the antichrist.
8Watch out that you do not lose
what you have worked for, but
that you may be rewarded fully.
9Anyone who runs ahead and does not
continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God;
whoever continues in the teaching has
both the Father and the Son.
10If anyone comes to you and does not
bring this teaching, do not
take him into your house or welcome him.
11Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

12I have much to write to you, but
I do not want to use paper and ink.
Instead, I hope to visit you and
talk with you face to face, so that
our joy may be complete.

13The children of your chosen sister send their greetings.

1 John 5:13-21

Concluding Remarks
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that
if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears us—
whatever we ask—
we know that we have what we asked of him.

16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death,
he should pray and God will give him life.
I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death.
There is a sin that leads to death.
I am not saying that he should pray about that.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin;
the one who was born of God keeps him safe,
and the evil one cannot harm him.
19 We know that we are children of God,
and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and
has given us understanding, so that
we may know him who is true.
And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.

21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

1 John 4:7-21

God's Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another,
for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves
has been born of God and knows God.
8Whoever does not love
does not know God,
because God is love.

9This is how God showed his love among us:
He sent his one and only Son into the world that we
might live through him.
10This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we
also ought to love one another.

12No one has ever seen God; but
if we love one another,
God lives in us and his love is
made complete in us.

13We know that we live in him and
he in us,
because he has given us of his Spirit.
14And we have seen and testify that
the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God lives in him and he in God.
16And so we know and rely
on the love God has for us.
God is love.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

17In this way, love is made complete among us
so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment,
because in this world we are like him.

18There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19We love because he first loved us.
20If anyone says, "I love God,"
yet hates his brother, he is a liar.
For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen,
cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

21And he has given us this command:
Whoever loves God must
also love his brother.

1 John 4:1-6

Test the Spirits
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.
This is the spirit of the antichrist,
which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world,
and the world listens to them.
6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us;
but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

1 John 3:11-24

Love one another
11This is the message you heard from the beginning:
We should love one another.
12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him?
Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.
13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16This 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.
17If anyone has material possessions
and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him?
18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth,
and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
20whenever our hearts condemn us.
For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1 John 2:28 - 3:10

Children of God
28And now, dear children, continue in him,
so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29If you know that he is righteous,
you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

1 John 3
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
2Dear friends, now we are children of God,
and what we will be has not yet been made known.
But we know that when he appears,
we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself,
just as he is pure.
4Everyone who sins breaks the law;
in fact, sin is lawlessness.
5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.
And in him is no sin.
6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.
No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray.
He who does what is right is righteous,
just as he is righteous.
8He 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.
9No one who is born of God will continue to sin,
because God's seed remains in him;
he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
10This 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 a child of God;
nor is anyone who does not love his brother.