1 John 3:24
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us.
I came home the other day to my wife making a list. Which is actually not all that uncommon because we both love lists! But this list wasn't another to-do-list. It was a list of her accomplishments for 2018. I was proud of her for making that list, not simply because she did a bunch of awesome things in 2018. But because she took time to look back at what she did before moving on to the next list of things she wanted to accomplish. It's important for us to have an honest examination of where we are in order to move forward. Today's first reading is teaching us how to recognize evil in the world around us. But before we can recognize that evil we must have a working knowledge of goodness. If we follow God's plan for our life (his commandments) then the spirit of God will be in us. As we step into this year let's honestly reflect on how we are keeping God's commandments and invite his Spirit to dwell in us.
