Whose Child Will I Be?

Scripture – 1 John 3:7-10: 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.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) Every day there are many opportunities to be led astray. I face choices throughout the day. Many times it’s pretty easy to make the right choice. It’s almost second nature. Sometimes, though, I have to make a clear decision as to how I will act. John paints a rather stark choice here: Will I act as a child of God or as a child of the devil? As blunt as those words are, they do describe the basic choice I face throughout each day.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I will be careful what I say, how I say it and what I do today. I’ll keep this image in front of me. As people watch me, whose child will they see?

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, you know I love you. Show me the good choices today and empower me to make them. Help me live in a way that will make you proud.