And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 2:28-29, 3:1

Good influences or bad, they have influence on us and John recognized the importance of abiding with the good influence of Christ.

As a kid our family moved around a lot. As a result, I changed schools often and learned pretty early on the importance of what Paul told the Corinthians: “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character”(1 Corinthians 15:33). Remember the “bad company” in school or in the neighborhood? What about today?  Are there some relationships that are poison?

On the other hand, John reaffirms the positive influence of Christ in the passage above. Abide in Christ and your life will reflect His. If He is righteous, it makes sense to recognize the importance of righteous living in our own lives, right?

Abiding in Christ doesn’t lead us to a life of legalism, but one of loving obedience.  How would you describe the difference to your next door neighbor?