Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, July 9, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Again, these simple black-and-white dichotomies are a bit misleading, I think. Yes, we are absolutely from God. No question. Each and every one of us. But there’s the rub. That means that the guy who drives us nuts is also from God, even if his words or actions might indicate otherwise. Yet we are more and more polarized in our thinking about people and issues these days, so we are quick to fall into these dichotomies wherein anyone who agrees with us is “from God” and whoever disagrees with us is “not from God.” It’s sort of like praying for the outcome of a football game, as though God will bestow favor on one team over another. Yeah…no. Doesn’t work that way.
If I were pressed to apply this to our modern context, I might rephrase it this way: “We are from God. Whoever knows God is open to listening to the input and experience of those who are different from them, and whoever closes their mind and refuses to acknowledge anyone who disagrees with them is not from God. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” But, you know, I didn’t write 1 John. So take my midrash with a grain of salt.
Is it possible to determine whether someone is “from God” or “not from God?”
