Devotional- Summer of Love: Real Faith
1 John 2:9–10 (NIV)
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.”
Reflection
How do you know your faith is real?
That’s the question John tackles head-on in his letter to the early church. These were believers who, like many of us, sometimes wrestled with doubt. Not doubt about whether God exists or if church matters, but something deeper. Is this real in me? Do I actually believe this, or am I just hoping it’s true?
John’s answer is bold, but clear: look at your love.
He starts by saying we can know we’ve come to know Jesus if we obey His commands. That sounds intimidating at first, like we’ve got to prove ourselves through perfect behavior. But John isn’t setting the bar at perfection. He’s pointing to desire. He’s saying that if your faith is real, it will begin to shape how you live.
And especially how you love.
It’s not about sinlessness. It’s about transformation. John knows none of us gets it all right. But if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus, the Spirit of God is at work in you. He convicts, redirects, and renews your heart. That inner pull toward righteousness, that ache when you fall short, is not proof you are failing. It is proof you are alive in Christ.
As Pastor Stephen said, the presence of a “mini crisis of faith” after failure is actually one of the strongest signs that your faith is real. Conviction means the Spirit is reminding you of your identity, not shaming you for falling. He is calling you back to who you truly are—a child of God.
Jeremiah 31:33 says God will write His law on our hearts. That is what’s happening. When you desire to do what is right, even when you don’t always get it right, that’s the Spirit shaping you from the inside out.
John says again:
“Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
He then tells us what that looks like. Not a long checklist of rules, but one command that sums it all up:
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. But anyone who loves… lives in the light.” (1 John 2:9–10)
It always comes back to love.
Not love from a distance. Not love for people you never interact with. Real love, up close. Inconvenient. Sometimes uncomfortable. The kind of love that shows up in community, where people are messy, where forgiveness is required, where truth is told even when it’s hard.
Jesus said, “By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Not by your theology. Not by your moral record. Not by your church attendance. But by how you love the people sitting next to you—the ones who know you, challenge you, and sometimes frustrate you.
Love means sacrifice. It means service. It means putting others first. It means telling the truth, even when it's hard to hear. And when you respond to someone who has hurt you not with revenge, but with a question—what does love require of me?—you are walking in the light.
This is the kind of love that sets the Church apart. This is the kind of love that proves your faith is alive and real.
Questions for Reflection
When have you felt convicted after a failure, and how did that moment reveal God’s work in your life?
What is the difference between loving people from a distance and loving them in close, committed community?
Who in your spiritual community challenges your ability to love, and how might God be using that relationship to grow you?
What truths from this message help you replace shame with grace?
Prayer
Father, thank You that my identity is secure in You, not because of my performance but because of Jesus. Thank You for the Holy Spirit who convicts me, not to condemn me, but to remind me of who I really am. Help me live from that truth. Help me love like You love. Show me how to serve, forgive, and sacrifice for the people You’ve placed in my life. Make my life a reflection of Your light, and let my love be the evidence that I truly know You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dig Deeper
Representing Jesus | John 13:35 | Our Daily Bread Video Devotional
Knowing the Bible: 1-3 John- A 12-week Practical Study Series on the Books of 1-3 John
Scripture for further reflection: John 13:34–35, Romans 12:9–18, Galatians 5:22–26, Jeremiah 31:33
The clearest evidence of a living faith is not how many sins you avoid or how much theology you know. It is your love. Love is what reveals the light of Christ in you. And when you love people, not from a distance, but from within your own community. You are showing the world that Jesus is real and that He lives in you.
