November 27 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

1 John 5:1-13:

¹Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
³For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
⁴For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
⁵Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
⁶This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
⁷For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
⁸And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
⁹If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
¹⁰He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
¹¹And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
¹²He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
¹³These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Devotional

Men seek to bring each other into bondage: one nation tries to subjugate the other, and make slaves of them. God delivers his people from bondage and sets them free. Thus we read: "I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright." However, it is true that God uses one nation to punish other nations that have wilfully persisted in sinning against him, his own disobedient people included. We read: "For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchad­nezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him." However, God has not cast off his people. He will save them. "It shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing," that is, because of Christ the anointed One. He is the One that delivers from all outward and spiritual bondage. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." His yoke (yes, there is a yoke), is not heavy, nor galling, but easy, and his burden light. We love him, because He first loved us. And if we love him, we shall keep his words (commandments). "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his command­ments are not grievous." "His yoke is easy, and his burden is light."

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee that Thou hast sent Jesus Christ into the world to free us from every yoke of bondage, and to remove all burdens from our shoulders. May we willingly and joyfully take his yoke upon us, and learn of him to be meek and lowly in heart. Help us to serve the Lord with gladness, being set free from all bondage. May we stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and may we not again be entangled with the yoke of bondage, nor permit any one to place heavy burdens on our shoulders. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Lev. 26:13; Jer. 28:14; Isa. 10:27; John 8:36; Matt. 11:30; 1 John 4:19; John 14:23; 1 John 5:3.

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