Daily Reading for Personal Growth, 40 Days with God

¹⁷ But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him—how can God’s love be within him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. ¹⁹ Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we are on God’s side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord. ²⁰ But if we have bad consciences and feel that we have done wrong, the Lord will surely feel it even more,^[a] for he knows everything we do.

²¹ But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, ²² and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying him and doing the things that please him. ²³ And this is what God says we must do: Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. ²⁴ Those who do what God says—they are living with God and he with them. We know this is true because the Holy Spirit he has given us tells us so.