October 30, 2026 | Be Connected
Believing in and Obeying Jesus
Scripture: 1 John 3:21-24(NIV)
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives 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.
Devotional
Spend a few minutes with somebody and you will know what they think about the weather.
Spend ten minutes with that same person and you will know what they think about the world.
Spend an hour with them and you will know what they think about most.
Our worldview is revealed by our lifestyle. Our worries are betrayed by our words. Our passions are exposed by our proclamations.
I have led several disciple-making groups called Followers Made. One of the things I love about it is the way we are challenged to interact with Scripture. When reading a passage of the Bible, we are to respond with both an “I Believe” and an “I Will” statement.
The “I Believe” statement engages the mind. If forces me to consider what that section of Scripture says about God or about people or about myself. An honest “I Believe” declaration speaks to my worldview. How do I see the person and work of Jesus? How does that truth impact the world and me?
The “I Will” statement challenges the will. It prompts me to decide what I am going to do about what I have read. It’s one thing to write, “I believe God calls Christians to love those around us.” It’s another thing altogether to write, “I will apologize to my coworker” or “I will take my contentious neighbor to lunch” or “I will only speak positively to my spouse this week.”
John put these concepts together in a single verse when he wrote, “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”
What do you believe?
What will you do about it?
