Wednesday 28 November, 2018

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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.

I can see that so much of who I am has been shaped by my parents. From my love of books and stories, to my interest in history, to my fierce sense of standing up for what I believe in, to my sense of humour and my faith… When people meet me they have in part met my parents

In the same way, if we are God’s children and allow Him to shape and parent us, people will be able to see Him in us. God is love, and as His love is formed in us, people will experience it through us.

God, thank you for your love for me and for all humanity. Please shape me and parent me, teach me how to receive your love and share it with those around me. Help me to stay focused on love and not to get distracted by other things. Help me to hug as you would hug, greet as you would greet, make eye contact as you would make eye contact, encourage as you would encourage and see the best in people as you see the best in people. Amen.

Written by Bethany Waugh