1 John 2:4-6 – Leading Lives of Consistency Part 2

Daily Devotional Bible Verses

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:4-6 ESV)

Yesterday our devotion was on consistency, and today we will discuss other side of this; inconsistency. What does it look like when you know that someone’s words are different than their actions?

In 1 John 2 we see a sobering picture of what consistency is, and what it isn’t. Paraphrasing the first part of chapter 2, John essentially says that if you say you have received the love and grace of Jesus Christ, but do not live by His commandments, then you are a liar and the truth is not in you. In other words, if you have put your faith in Jesus and there is no outward change, no want to know Him, no want to love the things He loves and no care for His mission with consistency, then you should stop and really examine your heart. You should stop and examine your walk and relationship with Him, because something appears to be out of order.

Our walk and growth in Jesus will never be perfect… so please don’t hear me saying when we have the slightest mess up, we should question our faith. What I am saying is what John is: when we do sin, we have an advocate with the father, who has paid the price for our mess-ups and His name is Jesus. He’s set the perfect example, which should serve to inspire us to strive for consistency in our faith.

As Paul says in Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” What areas of your life are showing inconsistency? How can you make a change and focus on what Jesus is calling you to do?

Guest devotion by Lars Valdor Haglund. Lars serves as a Pastoral Resident at Restoration Church Port Orange and is currently pursuing his Masters of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary. He has served in ministry since 2012 and previously was a professional actor in NYC. Lars and his wife live in FL and love good pizza & movies!