What Jesus Did! 'God's Children' — John 8:44-47

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

[To the Jews, Jesus continued,] "For you are the children of your father the devil... So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe me! Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God."
— John 8:44-47 NLT

Key Thought

God is the true Father of all people who look to his Son for their salvation. They listen to Jesus and do what he says. The faithful are not simply those on a list of notable people who have lived for Jesus in spectacular ways. No, the litmus test for all of us as children of God is this: Do we live what Jesus teaches?

Today's Prayer

Father God, please help my discipleship involve the way I live all of my life, not just my language at prayer time. Please forgive me for sometimes letting my discipleship and passion for Jesus not make it past my prayer time. Empower me as I seek to show my love for you in the way I live my life. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

6 Related Resources by Heartlight

Nuggets of Truth
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Friend, The verses below come from a very contentious time when the religious leaders were trying to trick Me into a religious trap so they..."
Father of Lies
Article by Sarah Stirman
Whose voice do you listen to? Satan is the Father of lies and tries to get us to believe his cruel and ugly lies.
Poison Ivy
Article by Mike Barres
Are you playing with poison? Sin always hurts us and harms those we love, but Satan often delays our consequences so that we can get more and more involved in it and then he deeply wounds us and those we love.
Know Your Enemy
Devo: What Jesus Did!
"[To the Jews, Jesus continued,] "No, you are imitating your real father." They replied, "We aren't illegitimate children! God himself is our true...."
See All 6 Related Resources about John 8:44-47

Illustration

Illustration of John 8:44-47 NLT — "For you are the children of your father the devil...

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Satan Traps People Who Follow Human Wisdom'
"Do not fool yourselves. If you think you are wise in this world, you should become a fool so that you can become truly wise, because the wisdom of..."
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Opening Blind Eyes #2'
"Dear Friend, I want you to notice the different ways people in this story viewed the "man born blind" that you find in your Bibles (John 9:1-41):My....."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'Give Us Boldness, O Lord!'
"[The disciples continued their prayer:] "And now, O Lord, hear [the threats of the rulers and people], and give us, your servants, great boldness in....."
God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'A New Heart!' (Ek. 36:26-27)
"[God, to the Israelite exiles in Babylon:] "I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a..."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!