What is Right

DEVOTION 1 JOHN WHAT IS RIGHT 1 John 2:28-29 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. NIV Why would someone not continue in him? Why would someone who has seen the truth, experienced the truth, lived within the truth not continue to do so? How could anyone walk away, leave, or simply stray away from him? We know from before there are a whole lot of false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, trying desperately to decimate the flock. There are trying with their silver tongues to deceive people and draw them unto themselves for their own agenda, their own personal gain, using portions of the truth simply to seem upright and just. But we who believe need to be aware of them and remain steadfast in him, in the truth, in the way, in the light. If for some reason we get distracted either with false teachings, or with some other form of unrighteousness will we be ashamed at his coming? That would be a very uncomfortable situation and we need not be concerned about it, if we remain, if we continue in him. We can be confident of our inheritance, of our place within the Kingdom of God because we are doing what is right, we are continuing in him. That is what is right, that is what makes us born again. It is not by our doing deeds of rightness, by our following all the rules and regulations of man or even by our living a sin free life, which of course if not possible, that makes us born again. It is by our accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior which qualifies us as being born of him. That is the only way that we can really do what is right. Sure we need to repent and attempt with all our abilities to resist temptations, to turn from them and keep our eyes on Jesus, but we will fail, we will not be able to sustain day after day, month after month, year after year of never ever falling short of the mark. If we think we can, or are, we are deceiving ourselves and calling God a liar. But we can remain in him, we can continue to believe in him, and look to him for our strength and for the forgiveness of sin. We can stand fast in our faith that Jesus Christ is our Savior. We can stay in the truth and not get distracted by the world or those false teachers. This is what is right.