1 John

February 5th – Matthew 22:34-40

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Matthew 22:34-40

All Jesus did and endured was because of His great love for us. And when approached by a Pharisee who asked what was the greatest commandment of all, the Lord’s answer? Love. Love for God, and each other. Love is so vital, Jesus adds, upon this is the foundation of the Law and the Prophets. But loving as Jesus loves can only happen if our love for Him is greater than our love for ourselves. And the proof of this is in the way we treat others. For as the apostle John points out, to say that we love God and yet not love others, makes us liars. (1 John 4:20) On our own a true, Christlike love may seem impossible. But through the work of the Holy Spirit, we can have hearts which no longer demonstrate a self centered, sinful love, but the completely selfless and sacrificial love of Jesus.

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November 30 – 1 John 5:11

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1 John 5:11

I am thankful that the evidence of the gospel is all around me

Evangelist Ray Comfort wrote, “Atheists who keep asking for evidence of God’s existence are like a fish in the ocean wanting evidence of water.” When witnesses testify in court they swear to to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth. But unfortunately we know that people and their promises can’t always be trusted. That’s not the case with God. We can trust that He is always true, honest, and faithful to keep His word. Throughout the Old Testament we read the glorious testimony of God promising a Messiah who would come to save the world. And that promise came true with the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And the evidence to back it up? God Himself, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. All testify that Christ is the One and only Son of God. And those who reject this testimony are in fact calling God a liar.

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November 29th – 1 John 3:1

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1 John 3:1 

I am thankful to call God my Father 

Jesus came to be our perfect substitute. Taking our place, He paid our sin debt allowing us to be redeemed to the Father. Because of His sacrifice we are not only forgiven of our sins, freed from the burden of the Law, we are also adopted as sons and daughters into God’s heavenly family forever. Imagine that! No longer called slaves, but heirs to the kingdom through the blood of Christ. But it gets even better. In one of my favorite verses Paul says, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba! Father!” (Gal. 4:6) Abba is an Aramaic term which closely translated means Daddy. What a privilege to be able to call God, Daddy! As sinners on our own we can never be worthy of being in His family.  But because of Jesus not only does God accept us, He calls us His own. And in this gift giving season, God’s gift of adoption is one I am forever thankful for.

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November 7th – 1 John 4:10

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1 John 4:10

I am thankful for God’s unmerited grace and love

Author Lee Wallace wrote, “Riches take wings, comforts vanish, hope withers away, but love stays with us. Love is God.” Our Father doesn’t love us because we are good, special, or worthy. In fact He knows we aren’t deserving in any way. He loves us because He is love. And it’s out of that amazing, unmerited love, that God sent His only Son to pay the sin debt that we owe. All He asks in return is that we open our hearts to Him and receive His free gift of grace. That’s it. No strings attached, no conditions to meet, no standards to reach. God loves us, and no matter how dirty, broken, or sinful we are, He wants to call us His own. He longs to pick up us, dust off the dirt, wipe away our tears, replace our sorrow with joy, and make us royalty in His kingdom forever!

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October 9th – 1 John 1:9

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1 John 1:9

God’s Promise – “If you confess your sins, I will be faithful to forgive and cleanse you.”

It’s said that confession is good for the soul. Confessing our sins means telling God what we’ve done, agreeing that it was wrong in His eyes, and apologizing for our sin. And how does God respond when we tell Him that we’re sorry? I love this by Dr. Charles Stanley, “When you pour out your heart in genuine confession and repentance, God forgives you completely and declares you justified, no longer guilty in His eyes. The Lord understands your struggles and He wants you to find victory in them-not to continue to feel shame because of them. He is merciful and loving, which is why once you confess and repent, you are absolutely forgiven!” Guilt and shame are powerful weapons of the enemy. They keep us from experiencing God’s very best for our lives, and the freedom that comes from His forgiveness. So the next time Satan whispers his lies of guilt in your ears, remember God’s truth. Our Father knows the very worst about us and loves us all the more.

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September 25th -1 John 5:14-15

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1 John 5:14-15

We as Christians are in a battle for our very souls. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that there is a great spiritual war waging around us even as we speak. As such, we are commanded to be courageous warriors in God’s army. Soldiers armed against the Enemy’s attacks, and at the ready with our spiritual weapons. And some of the greatest ammunition we have is prayer. Prayer is an unbreakable bond between us and God. There is no special formula, ritual, or words that have to be said. All God wants is for us to come to Him in complete and humble faith. Through the blood of Jesus Christ we have unlimited access to the Father and His throne. And He wants to hear from us! James 4:2 tells us we don’t have, because we don’t ask. So today I challenge you to ask! Go to God in prayer. Give to Him your heart and all it holds. And have unshakable faith that if it is His will, He will see it done!

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September 5th – Proverbs 8:13

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Proverbs 8:13

What if I told you that fear is a sin? How? Because at the root of fear is pride, and we know what God thinks about pride. Pride submits to no one, grasping at control, and thinking we ourselves know best. And it’s the same with fear. When we let fear dictate our actions, we’re telling God we trust more in our own feelings than in His promises. But through humility and faith, we can knock fear off the throne in our lives. Humility is never an easy pill to swallow. Because admitting we are wrong, being vulnerable, and submitting is hard. But when we come to God with a truly humble heart, He doesn’t say, “I told you so.” Instead He welcomes us with open arms, inviting us to draw near to Him. To safely shelter in His impenetrable tower of power, mercy, and wisdom. And when we put our faith in His perfect love and promises, we have no room to be afraid. For, as 1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear.”

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To Abide Is To Surrender – John 15

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John 15

As disciples of Christ, don’t we all want to glorify God with our words and actions? To do as the Lord commands and bare fruit? And not just a little fruit, but much fruit? Jesus tells us that without Him this is impossible saying, “for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (vs. 5) For Jesus is the vine and we His followers the branches. And unless we abide in Him, our branch will be fruitless.

“Bearing fruit in the Christian life is not about doing works or attempting righteousness in our own strength. Rather, it is about intentionally growing in our walk with Christ, inviting the Holy Spirit’s work of transformation in us, and actively obeying God in all He calls us to do. As we seek Him and lay down our own fleshly desires for His better ways, we will bear lasting fruit and serve as salt and light to a world in need of Jesus.”…CompellingTruth.org

“Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (vs. 4) Just as the vine provides the life source for the branches, Christ is the life source for each of us. To abide in Him means living in Jesus and Jesus living in and through us. Any hope we have of producing fruitful lives that glorify God can come only through abiding in the Lord. And abiding happens through surrendering.

Surrender Control-“I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.” (Jer. 10:23) Abiding in God means coming before the Lord with a humble heart, dependent upon Him for all things at all times. It is acknowledging that as Ruler and Creator of everything, God knows best, and it is for Him alone to establish our path.

Surrender Time-“He shall write for himself a copy of this law, it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life.” (Deut. 17:17,18) Abiding in God means setting aside time each day to read His Word. Intentionally studying the Bible opens our hearts to the Lord, and keeps us firmly planted in His truth;  giving us the discernment needed to fight off attacks from the Enemy.

Surrender Disobedience-“The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:24) Abiding in God means obeying all He commands. Obedience not only  brings us closer to Him, it’s proof of our devotion and faithfulness. It deepens and strengthens our relationship with the Lord through love, trust, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Surrender Striving-“Be still and know I am God.” (Ps. 46:10) Abiding in God means to stop fighting. When trouble comes and the storm rages, the best action we can take is to stand still. By remembering who God is and trusting Him to do what He says He will, His calming presence and peace will  fill and ease our distressed hearts.

Some people think that surrender is a form of weakness, but nothing could be further from the truth. Stepping out in faith and laying everything at the feet of Jesus takes great personal strength. But when we do, we’ll find the more we give up of ourselves, the fuller we become of God. So abide in the love of Jesus. Surrender all to the One who gave all for you. Let His love and peace reign in your heart and fill it to overflowing with joy!

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August 19th – 1 John 3:17

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1 John 3:17

With inflation on the rise, money is tight. And sometimes we barely have enough to take care of our own. But no matter how little we may have, there is always someone else who has less. So if we see a need of another that we can fill and choose to turn a blind eye, John says there’s no way we have the love of God inside of us. I once heard it said that it isn’t true giving unless it costs us something. Once we were destitute, dead in our iniquities, and separated from God. Yet because of His unmerited love, God gave His only Son as a substitute for our sins. And from a love for the Father and for us, Jesus gave His life to pay for those sins. So as Believers, how could we respond with anything less then the love shown to us? A love based in compassion, kindness, and mercy.  And carried out in generosity, worship, and action.

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August 7th – 1 John 3:1

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1 John 3:1

God didn’t hold back His goodness waiting for Saul, the persecutor of Jews, to become Paul, the apostle of Christ. Instead He showed grace, love, and kindness to Saul while he was knee deep in his wretchedness. Because God doesn’t want us waiting to come to Him until we’re “all cleaned up”, and ready to go. He wants us to come to Him as we are, dirty, broken, and hurting. To leave the cleaning up to Him. For He showers us with His Spirit who washes us anew, working to mold us into the image of Christ. The truth is, in our own wretchedness we could never get our filthy rags clean enough to stand before Almighty God. So in His unmerited kindness and love, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ. Through whose shed blood we can be transformed from a Paul to a Saul, and most wonderful of all, be called children of God.

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