Week 43: October 19-25, 2025 - Walk in God's Commandments

This week’s daily readings:

October 19-25, 2025

This week’s devotional:

Walk in God’s Commandments

by Rev. Justin Elerath

Scripture:

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 

— 2 John 6-7 (ESV) 

Reflection:

Following God’s commands perfectly is a burden we are incapable of achieving, yet it is true that we are called to do just that in our lives. We are to walk in His commands and, in doing so, we are demonstrating love. In these verses, John contrasts striving to walk in the commands that come from the Father with all the noise that surrounds us. Truthfully, love isn’t a feeling that we are influenced by, but an action. We are confronted from all sides with messages that proclaim good as evil and evil as good. The fact that “many deceivers have gone out into the world” shows that evil is contagious. When our coworker or family member is sneezing or coughing, we recognize that for what it is: a symptom of something undesirable that we should steer clear of. But do we do the same thing with the influences of this world? Do we recognize evil and steer clear? Or do we allow it to touch our lives, even on the periphery? 

I was recently at a large family gathering, and what happens when we all get together? Someone usually gets sick and then each one of us catches it in turn. When I notice that I am showing symptoms of the illness, I start taking huge amounts of vitamin C. When it comes to evil, do we consume vast amounts of Scripture—the vitamin C of the soul? Or do we believe that we are the first person ever to be immune to the pestilence of this world and, therefore, no precautionary measures are required? 

Every day of every week of every month, we have to renew our commitment to engaging in Spiritual disciplines so that we can walk in the Father’s commands and demonstrate true love, discerning the lies of the antichrists from the truth. 

Prayer:

Almighty Father, we live in a world filled with evil and deceit. How grateful we are to have you as our faithful protector! As it states in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Give us discernment to tell the lies of this world from your truth. Help us to know you and your commandments through reading your word daily and taking it up like a sword against the enemy when needed. Know that we love you as we endeavor to show love here on earth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, help us to live our lives more like Jesus did. It is in his mighty name that we pray. Amen