Being Merciful

 

DEVOTION

THE LETTER OF JUDE

BEING MERCIFUL

Jude 22-25

22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

NIV

Jude is coming to his concluding remarks in his rather short and to the point letter. But before he concludes, he makes one more statement of instruction for the church. We are to be merciful to those who doubt. These people who doubt are most likely our fellow believers struggling with certain aspects of the walk of a believer. The reason we think they are believers is Jude next tells us to snatch others from the fire and save them. These have to be those who have not yet believed as their destiny, if not saved, will be the eternal lake of burning sulfur, the fire. Yet they may be the seekers, aware of the conviction of the Spirit, but have not yet be led to faith in Jesus Christ. As to the other class of people, those whose clothing is stained by corrupted flesh, we cannot be certain as to who they are. However, in reading the Greek interlinear these segments of society seem a little clearer. It reads: "to some have compassion making a difference, to others save them out of fire pulling them even with fear, hating even the by the flesh spotted by garment." This would then infer there is only two class of people we need to show mercy. This translation divides them into three, but it seems there are both two. Either way, the point is, we should show mercy to those who have not yet believed, that are living on the path to destruction, even the worst of sinners if there is a category of sin. Mercy should be the lifestyle of us believers, as we are living on the path of God, and making every effort learning and growing in being more like Jesus. Jesus showed compassion, mercy on all who he came in contact with, except, of course, the demons. Jesus even reached out in compassion to the lepers, the outcasts, the poor and downtrodden, those who were broken, who had no hope. He healed them all, whoever came to him, he took the time to see them, to listen to their need, and he showed them mercy. Dare we do any differently? Are we so busy with our own wants and desires pursuing them relentlessly, that we do not have time to show mercy to the less fortunate souls who are still living on the path which leads to destruction? How can we idly stand by, so focused on self, while they are headed to the fire? Showing mercy may just be the key to saving them, pulling them from that flame which is licking at their heels. There may be various ways in which we can demonstrate mercy or compassion, but it still boils down to bringing help to the wretched and the gospel is the help they need, but just as with Jesus, he healed them while showing them the truth. So let us live with mercy in our hearts to both our fellow believers and to those who are suffering without hope.  

We Wait

 

DEVOTION

THE LETTER OF JUDE

WE WAIT

Jude 17-21

17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

NIV

It seems there are still those who are scoffers and are following their own ungodly desires. That Greek word translated as scoffer carries the meaning of a mocker or a false teacher. What is interesting is in Hebrew the word for mocker means to make mouths at, or give lip service. That is to say talk about things that appear to be holy and true, but not really believing it and thus just putting up a façade for the sake being able to persuade people to follow them in order to achieve some personal gain. What is also interesting is that Jude is most likely writing to the first-century church, which may have consisted of both Jews and Gentiles, telling them about the last times. Just as with us, they did not know when the Lord Jesus would return, but they must have believed they were living in the last times. Yet, here it is some two thousand years and we are still living in the last times, and there are still scoffers all around us. We have witnessed some of their methods to divide up the church so as to gain followers so these scoffers can live an overabundant lifestyle from the offers of those they have deceived. They use human methods of success and speak those titillating words into the ears, the hearts, and minds of those who follow them. They do not have the Spirit. We cannot allow them to influence us in any way. We close our ears, our hearts, and minds to them, for we have Spirit and we know walking in the Spirit means we build each other up as we build ourselves up in the most holy faith. We encourage one another to live in the Spirit for He leads us to the truth and we do this until we reach unity in the faith, not a division. Those who would cause dissension, division in the church are not from God, they only serve their own thirst. But, we will not listen to gossip, which is another form of division rather than unity. Let us walk in the Spirit, building, encouraging each other so that there is unity in the Spirit as we continue to pray in the Spirit, which simply means praying as directed or influenced by the Spirit so that we are praying in the will of God. We will remain in Christ, our only hope, and we are living in the love of God, and we are waiting for the day that His mercy is complete, and we meet our Lord in the air where he will bring us into eternal life. Yes, it is true, we have already begun our eternal life the day we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the day we were born again. But we are still in the flesh, still living in the corruption of the world. That day when we meet our Lord, we will be transformed from corruptible to incorruptible, perishable to imperishable, mortal, to immortal. So we hold on until that day of days when we see our Jesus face to face, in all his glory as he brings us into eternal life.  We wait.

Judging Everyone

 

THE LETTER OF JUDE

JUDGING EVERYONE

Jude 14-16

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." 16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

NIV

We are not sure why Jude refers to Enoch and his prophecy. However, it is interesting there either was an oral or written record of the prophetic words of Enoch. There are three books of Enoch that have been printed by various sources and as of late, even a newer version of the King James Bible includes these three books of Enoch. However, there is no such evidence of these books having any authority, or belong in the canon. Nevertheless, Jude does refer to Enoch as the seventh from Adam. This too has given much discussion as to being the seventh, which seven is the complete number of God and we believe Enoch was taken up to heaven alive. This is implied in Gen 5:23 when it says that Enoch walked with God and he was no more because God took him away. There are some scholars who believe Enoch died and God resurrected him up into heaven, such as a forerunner to Christ. What we know to be the truth is that Enoch walked with God and God took him away. Still, here is Jude making note that Enoch had prophesied about these ungodly men who had slipped into the church to cause dissension in the church and to gather unto themselves a following for their own advantage. At some point in time, these types of individuals will face judgment and their end is a foregone conclusion. We also cannot be sure as to who these thousands upon thousands of the Lord's holy ones are. From what we know these are angels, as it is recorded in Daniel, the Psalms, and in Matthew that there are thousands upon thousands of angels that attend the Lord as he seats on his throne. This gives us a picture of just how majestic and holy God is. We can see the evil that lurks in the heart of man. Jude gives us enough details to know these men have been and are now present in the church looking for ways to improve their own lives by deceptive practices, taking from others to benefit themselves. But we also get this picture of God and his greatness, his judgment upon all evildoers. We would be wise to stay our course, close off ourselves from these evildoers, not listening to their lies, but staying true to the truth of the Gospel. Although it is true, there are others who bring the truth, either in their spoken words or in their written words. But we have to also be on guard against those who flatter themselves and those who preach the faults of others. This too serves us as a reminder not to be like these men, but to always remain humble before our God and men, giving all the credit to the Lord for every aspect of our lives. We want to be counted in that number, finding our names written in the book of life when the Lord seats about his throne and judges everyone.

 

Hear the Truth

 

DEVOTION

THE LETTER OF JUDE

HEAR THE TRUTH

Jude 11-13

11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. 12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm — shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted — twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

NIV

Jude does not hold back anything at all in defining these wolves in sheep’s clothing that have slipped unnoticed into the church. However, Jude must have found out about them somehow and he is now giving his full attention to drawing everything’s awareness of them and their danger to the church, but most importantly to the truth. First, he says woe to them, for they have taken the way of Cain. This causes us to ponder on just what is the way of Cain. Certainly, Jude was not saying they were killing their brothers in the Lord. But what caused Cain to take such an evil act against Abel? We know Cain was angry because the Lord enjoyed the fat offer of Abel but did accept the first fruit offering of Cain. This anger toward God turned and was vented on his brother Abel. Greed, envy, jealously, pride, hatred, discontentment under the restraints of God, or perhaps something else caused this behavior. Jude is simply saying these men are not a true believer in Christ Jesus, they have another self-serving agenda. They rush into the profit of Balaam’s error, or in other words, they rush greedily into whatever course of life that brings personal gain. But Jude includes the fact their destruction is their end, as any rebellion brings. What is most interesting is the word Jude uses to describe them as blemishes at the love feasts, which is referring most likely to the communion. The Greek word is translated also as spot, but it has the direct meaning of a rock in the sea. This could very well imply a rock unseen in the sea that would cause a shipwreck. That is the implication here, that these men could cause a shipwreck of faith. They have no concerns, but for their feeding of themselves, they are self-serving and in the process may cause to go staving, at least in a spiritual sense. Jude continues to say that are like clouds without rain, which implies they serve no purpose, or that as Peter puts it springs with no water. But Jude uses this cloud in the sense that clouds may bring the promise of rain, but none is there, they are empty. This is the way some of the false teachers are. They promise good things, they make it sound like we should be living an abundant life, but they only speak to enhance themselves and do not bring the truth to the church, there words are empty. All the rest that Jude describes gives us the complete picture to know these are dangerous men and the church is in danger when it listens to them. Today, we have so many who are either on the media airwaves or have written many books, or both, who may not be on the right side of the truth. This is not to say all, but to know there are many false teachers out there looking to gain profit from the gospel message, without every actually declaring the truth of the gospel. We refuse to listen to them, they may well be clouds without rain, springs without water, and spots in the sea that can cause a shipwreck in our lives. No, the Spirit has given us his gift of discernment for a reason, and we would do well to employ his gifts so that our faith is based on the solid rock, which is not hidden beneath the surface but stands as a cornerstone to build our lives upon. If we are going to have an ear that hears, that our ears should hear the truth, and Jude is telling us the truth about those who would oppose it. Let us listen only to the truth.

Rebuking Lies

 

THE LETTER OF JUDE

REBUKING LIES

Jude 8-10

8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"   10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals — these are the very things that destroy them.

NIV

This is some very harsh language regarding these dangerous men who have slipped into the church as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jude calls them dreamers, as though they do not live in the reality of the truth, but rather live in the fantasy of their creation. Living in this manner, taking liberty out of the grace of God to do that which they should not as Jude already said that they change the grace of God into a license for immorality. They have rejected authority, and we have to believe this is the authority of Jesus, as they despise the idea of angels, which would seem they do not believe Jesus is in heaven and in fact there is no heaven or hell, but simply this life, and to live it with gusto. Still, Jude makes the point that these men slander the truth, speak against the truth, calling the truth a lie, and their lies, the truth. We have to be careful of these types of men that are still at large and hiding in the community of faith, spreading their false doctrines as though they have the truth. We have seen them come and go throughout our time in the body of Christ. It has become easier for them to spread their agendas, their lies, as today they have the use of many forms of media, but mostly through the medium of television, but they also are using the internet. In this day and age, it may be even more important to seek the guidance of the Spirit’s gift of discernment. We should be asking for discernment. Jesus has told us to ask for anything, but at the same time, ask in accordance with the will of God, and he will give it to us. So asking for the Spirit’s gift of discernment is certainly in the will of God and that would aid us in revealing these false teachings that are spreading like wildfire throughout the community of faith. However, we also need not speak evil about them, but simply rebuke them in the name of the Lord. Although it is most difficult to rebuke someone we never met in person, but only witness their lies in those forms of media. We can, however, when their names come up in conversation among believers, simply say that we rebuke them in the name of the Lord, and let the chips fall where they may. We do not have to go into detail of their lies but just rebuke them. In the reality of heaven, their own words will destroy them, we do not have to try to destroy them but just rebuke them. We can do that and still do it in with love, rather than out of hatred for them. They are who they are, and by simply rebuking them, if but just in our own minds and spirits, stay clear of them and live under the authority of Jesus.

Standing Firm

 

THE LETTER OF JUDE

STANDING FIRM

Jude 5-7

5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home — these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

NIV

 

Jude uses a very popular way to remind his readers as to what happened and will happen to those who have gone astray and of those who will be led astray. We already know all this for we know the history and the future of those who did not and will not believe. However, Jude still relays this information to make the point. He tells of the Israelites having been in bondage in Egypt and how the Lord delivered them. This is certainly a picture of how we were once in bondage to sin, and the Lord delivered us. Jude goes on the tell us that later the Lord destroy those who did not believe. We know the story of them reaching the border of the Land of Promise and the twelve spies sent to check out the lay of the land. We know ten said there were giants in the land, while Joshua and Caleb said that they could still take the land, but the people refused to follow and God turned them back into the wilderness until they all died and then he brought their children back to the Land of Promise and they took it. Again, a picture to show us that we have been promised the Land, the new earth, and a new heaven, but we must stay the course, continue to believe, for if we doubt, God may well turn us back into the wilderness. Jude also tells of the angels who had it all, living in the presence of the Almighty, with authority, but because of their rebellion they left heaven and he keeps them in darkness bound with everlasting chains for judgment. It is interesting how many think the falling angels are now the demons, subjects of the devil. But, according to Jude, those angels are in everlasting chains in some dark place. Maybe that is a metaphor for being in bondage to evil as demons. However, it still appears they are lost forever. Another picture for us to grasp that we need to remain faithful to the end, to never leave our home here in Christ. Jude also uses what God did to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of what he will do someday to the world that is full of the same sort of evil. What we know is that we do not want to suffer the eternal punishment of fire, but that we want to be in the resurrection to be with our Lord for all eternity. Therefore, we will stay the course, contend for the faith, fight to keep on the path of righteousness, remaining in Christ. We will fight, and of course, God has given us all the tools, all His armor so that we can take our stand against the forces of evil that would attempt to destroy us. When we have done everything, we will then stand firm until the end, for the battle has already been won.

Contending For The Faith

 

THE LETTER OF JUDE

CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH

Jude 3-4

3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

NIV

It is always a good thing to write about the salvation we share. There is so much that is positive about our faith, about our salvation. We are certainly admonished to encourage one another and build each other up until we reach unity in the faith. Jude is no exception to this as he is saying he is very eager to write about the salvation he shares with his fellow believers. We are aware they all did not have the complete word of God as we do, which serves us with the ability to explore and know everything about our salvation, and the grace, peace, and love of God. It is unfortunate some have made it into a yoke of bondage seeing only that which we are not to do rather than what we should do because of our authority which has been given to us. This seems to be the case here for the reason Jude is telling them to contend or fight, struggle for the faith. This is fighting for what is true, in the face of certain men whose condemnation was written about and have slipped in among them. False teachers, but not someone who comes boldly forth and declares something other than Jesus crucified. No, these men slipped in, like wolves in sheep’s clothing. The Greek word translated as slipped carries the meaning settle in alongside, or lodging stealthily. These are men who came in the name of the Lord, perhaps even stayed for a season, even joined the local gathering of believers. But they had perverted the grace of God and were urging others to enjoy the freedom to indulge in certain pleasures that were of an immoral nature. Although this same word is used by Mark in a list of attitudes and behaviors, such as greed, malice, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. This license of immorality covers all this and more, for if we were to engage in this kind of attitude and behaviors we would be denying the grace of God, Jesus our only Sovereign and Lord. There are attitudes which are not right, and behaviors which are not acceptable, and it would seem these men that had slipped in were promoting, perhaps even ever so deceitfully or craftily, it was unnoticed until it was too late. Jude is making the church aware of these ungodly men and we too should be careful not to be deceived by those who would slip in among us and that is not just in the sense of the local church, but with the culture of media we have today, these men can slip into the church at large. This is why it is so important that we encourage or exhort each other, or fight for the faith, so no one among us is deceived by these silver-tongued purveyors of falsehoods. They must be exposed for who they are, ungodly men already condemned. Let us continue to contend for our faith.  

Carefully Attended To

 

THE LETTER OF JUDE

CAREFULLY ATTENDED TO

Jude 1-2

1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

NIV

Hey, Jude, except this is a much earlier Jude, and because he says he is a brother to James, it is thought by most scholars of old he was a brother to Jesus, and may well have gone by the name Judas, or as here, Jude. The Greek is the name Judas and it comes from a Hebrew origin name of Jedudah. His letter appears to be a general letter to the church at large rather than to a specific church located in one city, such as many of the letters of Paul were. This letter is rather direct and to the point as we will see as we move through it. The overall tenure of this letter is a warning against false teachers who have infiltrated the church. Jude uses past examples of how God dealt with unbelievers, or rebels or wicked men who denied or disobeyed Him in order to show the need to contend for the faith, to fight for the truth, to stand firm. As we are among those who have been called and answered that call and are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ, this letter is written to us. What we first what to understand is this is usually a common greeting among many of the letters, but still it carries a very significant meaning. Mercy, peace, and love is ours in abundance. We know about mercy, or the compassion of God toward us, we know about peace, as having a tranquil soul assured of our salvation and so we nothing to fear from God and we are content with our lot in life, whatsoever that is. We also know of the Love of God toward us. What is very interesting is that His mercy, peace, and love are not just given to us, but they are poured out upon us in abundance. The Greek word actually means to multiply or to increase. This would give us the idea mercy, peace, and love were not a one-time happening, but they are forever being increased, multiplied toward us. The picture we get is that God does not do anything partially, or halfway, but when He does something, He is all in, constantly in, never forsaking us, but continually with ever-increasing amounts demonstrating his mercy toward us and assuring us we are in his peace and love. This gives us great comfort knowing God is always involved with and in us, pouring himself out on and in us. There is no reason for us to fear Him or life itself for we are loved by God and kept, or as the Greek word implies, attended to carefully, taken care of, by Jesus. Just to think as much as the mercy, grace, and love of God is so incredible, we are being attended to very carefully by Jesus.

A Good Reputation

 

DEVOTION

THE 3^RD LETTER OF JOHN

A GOOD REPUTATION

3 John 11-14

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone — and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

NIV

This dear friend is Gaius and now John introduces us to Demetrius, who we also do not know much about either as he too is not mentioned elsewhere in the scriptures. We would think he either is the bearer of this letter to Gaius or that he lives in the same community and is a member of the same church. It would seem John is using him as an example of someone to imitate what is good. Having a good reputation among the community of faith is certainly desirable and that can only be achieved by having a good character within. False humility is something Paul warns the church in Colossae about. Of course, the true example of what is good is Jesus. However, it is still important to look to Him as our example and imitate the attitude and behavior of Christ than to look to the world, as it is indeed evil and seems to increase in evil with each passing year. Perhaps the people of the world have always been as evil as today, and now because of the multi forms of media, we are simply more aware of this amount of evil. John is making sure we know that our attitude and behavior do not reflect that of evil but of good. We are different, and we should have a reputation of being like Christ rather than like the evil one. John gives his own testimony regarding the truth of the character of Demetrius. Certainly, it would seem to have people of good character speak well of us would be good. Gossip, on the other hand, would be bad, for is always seem gossip carries a negative tone. So, if we do that which is good if we have a good reputation than we can be considered from God. On the other hand, if we are not doing what is good, if we are thinking and acting more like the world, then like Christ, we would have to say we are not from God. That is a pure black and white situation. There is no middle of the road, riding the fence, grey area here at all. We either have a good or bad reputation. How can we have a sort of good reputation or a part-time good reputation? Our reputation is something that is built over the course of time and consistency in doing that which is good is the key. Let us live in a manner that we are spoken well of by God and by men.

Lead With Humility

 

DEVOTION

THE 3^RD LETTER OF JOHN

LEAD WITH HUMILITY

3 John 9-10

9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. 10 So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

NIV

First, we have no idea who this Diotrephes is as he is not mentioned anywhere else in the scriptures. Second, there is some discussion among scholars as to this comment by John that he wrote to the church. We have no record of such a letter giving a recommendation to these brothers who were traveling with the message of Christ among the Gentile churches. It is thought that letter is lost. Some think the better interpretation of this is that John is saying that he would have written to the church, but the oldest manuscripts do not support that view. So we will simply stay with the fact the John had written a letter of commendation regarding giving hospitality to these brothers, but this Diotrephes got in the way of this happening, so John writes now a personal letter to Gaius to make sure these men get cared for as they should. Although we do not know much about Diotrephes, we do know about individuals like him. However, before we explore that idea, we need to make sure we never take on that attitude of this fellow, for he stands against any authority, wanting instead to be the authority. We do not know if he is actually an office holder in the church, such as a deacon, or board member, a trustee, or perhaps even a pastor, or just a wannabe leader. Again, we do not know about this particular person only that John says he wants to be first, which does indicate he wants to have the authority in manners that he may not deserve. He wants to exert his influence over the church for his benefit and not for the advancement of either the church or the gospel. He speaks against John, spreading gossip of the wrong nature. We have met such persons in churches throughout our journey on the path of following Jesus. We have seen how destructive they can be, first to themselves and their journey, and second, to the health of the church. They too desire to exert their influence on the church, keeping it from doing those things which would both aid the gospel, as well as aid others in their journey. We have seen whole families who because of their wealth and large giving in the church feel they should have greater influences then others.  John says that if he does visit this church, he will call out Diotrephes on his behavior. That certainly fits right in with what Matthew writes about seeing a brother who is caught in sin. Would it have been and still is appropriate to call out these individuals when and if we encounter them in our future walk in Christ? We will just have to let the Spirit guide. But at the same time, we have to make sure we do not let this kind of attitude invade our thinking, our heart, and remain in Christ, remain humble before the Lord and men. Should The Lord gift us with any area of leadership, let us lead with humility.

Hospitality

 

DEVOTION

THE 3^RD LETTER OF JOHN

HOSPITALITY

3 John 5-8

5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

NIV

We do not know who these brothers are who John is referring to. Were they brothers that were traveling from church to church with a message, much like an evangelist? It would seem they are not regular members of the church Gaius belongs to or may well be the local shepherd or pastor of, as John says that Gaius would do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. In addition, John tells Gaius they went out for the sake of the Name, which is capitalized meaning to imply Christ. Hospitality is at the core of this recommendation by John to Gaius, which it seems he has already done as John begins by telling Gaius how faithful he is in what he is doing for these brothers. It is certain, Gaius has no personal knowledge of them or were familiar with them as John acknowledges they are strangers to Gaius. How do we personalize this information? It has to come to be hospitable to fellow believers even when we do not personally know them. Of course, hospitality may have been quite different in those days and that culture, then it is today. Not every town had a multiple number of chain hotels and a plethora of chain restaurants for traveling guests to select for their stay and comfort. Hospitality then meant these strangers, being fellow believers were most likely invited to stay at the home of Gaius and he would have given them an introduction to the rest of the members of the local church. It also appears John intends for Gaius to make sure these travelers are sent on with some sort of provisions. Today, perhaps we show hospitality in a different way, yet we are still to show fellow believers who show up at the door hospitality. Some would say that this is one of the gifts of the Spirit and it is not ours, so we need not be concerned about showing hospitality as we can leave it to those who the Spirit has gifted them with. But that is not how John sees nor implies the blessing Gaius is to these brothers. It would seem this is simply the response a faithful follower of Christ would exhibit toward fellow believers, even those we do not personally know. What this might look like is when a new person appears at the door of our church, whether they are traveling through or looking for a place to settle, we demonstrate hospitality, which could be seen in several ways. First, we would make sure they feel welcome, second, perhaps we would invite them to share in breakfast with us after church, to get to know them. They might decline, but perhaps that just might serve as sending them on in a manner worthy of the Lord. Just random thoughts about how we might apply this hospitality to others. We do know the Spirit will guide us as we are open to his influence on our hearts.  

Getting Along Well

 

DEVOTION

THE 3^RD LETTER OF JOHN

GETTING ALONG WELL

3 John 1-4

1:1 The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

NIV

We have another personal type letter which has made it into the canon. The reason is due to the instruction and warning which it contains We cannot be certain as to which Gaius this letter was written to as a person by this name appears in other places in the scriptures and it is most likely they are all different men, one who traveled with Paul, one who lived in Ephesus and the other who lived in Corinth. Whoever this fellow is, we can be certain John considers him a dear friend. As we look ahead in this letter, we notice another person who is not at all like this Gaius. What we want to take note of, however, is in the greeting of John. He says that he prays Gaius may enjoy good health and that all may go well with him, even as his soul is getting along well. First, let us consider that it would be well for us to pray that the soul of others we know, our fellow believers, especially of those who we go to church with, gets along well. The soul here is referred to as the inner person, their spirit, who they are, and there relationship with our Lord. This is that inner self of us that either lives in contentment, or in turmoil. We know that the physical body, our health is directly connected to the state of our spirit or our mind. If we are filled with anxiety, discontentment, envy, greed, jealously, or even some hatred that shows up as not willing to forgive others, it can have an adverse effect on our health. We should be concerned, as John is, about the health of our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Not that we continually badger them or pray without ceasing for them, but we should have a genuine care for them and pray they may enjoy good health as well as that all may go well with them. This going well has an interesting facet as we look at the Greek. The words translated as all may go well with you, directly means, to help on the road, however, passively it means to succeed in reaching, which figuratively implies to succeed in business affairs. But it can simply mean to have an easy life, to prosper in the journey of life. As we know, not every believer seems to have all three of these or for that matter any of them. We have seen believers who seem to struggle with health issues, struggle with life in general, not having any success in either business or their journey in life, seemingly to experience some trouble one after another as well as seemingly not content with their lot in life. Maybe we need to pray more for them than we have been or maybe we haven’t been praying for them at all, at least not in the right manner. But then would our prayer matter? Would God intervene and force them into having a soul that is getting along well? It would seem he could certainly help them with their health issues, and even in their life’s journey, but then they would need to be looking to him more, then looking to their selves. That is what seems to be the core issue for all of us, the direction of our heart, which way it faces, toward God or self. When we look to our own abilities, our own strength, our own well-being, we find we are so inadequate. We have seen those who spend an enormous amount of time and energy devoting themselves to healthy living, only to die young from some disease. We have seen some do everything to succeed in the affairs of life only to fail time and time again. What we know is that our only source for health, for life, for our soul is the Lord Almighty and as we get along well, it has to be due to Him. So let us pray for one another, that all goes well with us.  

Do Not

 

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF JOHN

DO NOT

2 John 7-11

7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

NIV

Although walking in love is the core issue of this letter, John also makes sure this lady is aware of the false doctrines that are out there and have been attempting to infiltrate the church of believers. We know that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection and thus Jesus was not resurrected. Of course, they did not recognize that Jesus was from God and thus was not the Messiah. None of the Jews that were not part of those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ thought he was the Christ. They did not believe the Son of God came in the flesh. Those were, in fact, the Jews that had him killed by the Romans. It would also make sense that they would come after those who did believe Jesus was the Christ and try to convince them otherwise. They may even have sent out evangelist, per se, in an effort to bring people in the fold of Judaism. Then there were the Judaizers who wanted new Gentile believers to adhere to the Law and get circumcised in order to be a full believer. We can just imagine understanding from our time with so many different interpretations that have developed into a multitude of denominations, some at odds with each other over how baptism is done, whether it completes salvation or not, whether the gifts are still here or they were only for the early church. The differences just keep going, so it is not difficult to understand how so many different beliefs come into being during that time, considering they did not have a complete written record, but most of the gospel truth was orally passed on, with some letters circulating from church to church. Everything was new and exciting and people must have been always hoping for new information. John warns this lady and us, not to welcome new doctrines, for we know the truth from the beginning. We do have a complete record of the truth, and we also have the Spirit who leads us into all the truth. We too should not welcome any of that false teaching that is in abundance. There is an extremely deceptive belief being promoted all the time, but in our current social environment, it has become popular to decent against the authorities God has instituted, even our country and it's way of life. There are many who would claim God does not exist. What we need to remember is that we know the truth and we need to remain in the truth, remain in Christ, and walk in love, as Jesus did. We cannot and should not be influenced by anyone other than the Holy Spirit. There are too many who even come in the name of God who teach incorrect doctrine. We are not to welcome them into our homes, which for us is into our lives. We have both the Father and the Son. We believe in God the Father and God the Son and not a single person is going to convince us otherwise. We will not share in their wickedness.   

Walking in Love

 

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF JOHN

WALKING IN LOVE

2 John 4-6

4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

NIV

Although we passed right by the introduction of this letter that included the standard blessing of grace and peace, we know it is meaningful as well. To be blessed by the grace and peace and, mercy on this occasion, from God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ carries much meaning in our lives. To have the divine influence on our hearts, and the be at peace with Him because Jesus has given us His peace, not as the world gives, but as he gives, thus we are at peace with God and have nothing to fear from Him. In addition, we have been shown an incredible amount of mercy or compassion from God, and that Greek word is active, which means His mercy in ongoing, it was not a onetime act of compassion. So we accept that greeting, that blessing as not just to this dear lady, but to all who read this letter, for the Word of God is active, not of the past, or of the future, but for the present to all who partake in it. Now, let us look at this joy that John receives, well the great joy that he receives, to find some of her children walking in the truth. Again, we could, as some have suggested, take this metaphorically and think about the church walking in the truth. But, at the same time, it is also a great joy to see our children walking in the truth. It is painful to watch any child leave the truth to live for their own passions. This lady may have that pain as well because John says that his joy is in that some, not all, of her children, are walking in the truth. It may well be that no matter how much we do in the rearing of our children, at some point in time they have to make their own choice in life to walk in the truth or to walk in some lie. Nevertheless, there is great joy when they do walk in the truth. John continues to tell this dear lady that he is not writing anything that he has not written before, that all believers had heard it from the beginning, and that is to love one another. This is that agapaoo type of love, which is in a social or moral sense. If we walk in love, as we have been commanded to, then that would mean we hold absolutely no ill-feeling toward anyone, nor that we exclude anyone from our love. That is we show no favoritism, but love everyone equally. This also means that we always trust them, always protect them, always preserver, and always hope. Love never fails. It also means we are to forgive, we never keep a record of any wrongs. If we want the whole truth about this love we have to read over and over that definition Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians. If we desire to walk in love, those qualities of love need to be deeply rooted within us so that we reflect that love in our daily lives toward all our brothers and sisters in Christ. This love we need to have within us needs to be an active love, as we are not to sit in love, but we are to walk in love.

The Truth

 

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF JOHN

THE TRUTH

2 John 1-3

1:1 The elder,

To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth — and not I only, but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.

NIV

This letter is from the elder, and it has been determined by those of far greater depth of learner then us, the elder is to mean it was from John, as we know his first letter. This is based on some of the same kind of language and specifically that we love one another. This chosen lady has also been of some debate. There has been thought it was a metaphor for a church and that would be the church in Jerusalem, however, would have been conjecture as it does not imply such meaning in the choice of words. It may also be translated as to the favorite Kuria, lady. This Greek word is the feminine of a Greek word that means supreme authority, by implication Mr. a title of respect. So this lady, who some also think this Greek word could be her given name, Kuria or Cyria, a Christian lady. By the implication of the whole of the letter, it appears she may have been a deaconess and hosted a church in her home. Because John says that he loves her and her children in the truth and that all who know the truth also love her. The greatest statement here in this introduction comes directly to our lives as it did this chosen lady. That is because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever. The truth will never leave us. We will always have the truth both within us and around us because we fellowship with others who have the truth within them. What we know from the rest of this short letter of John, is there are those who do not have the truth and thus have what is known as false teaching. Again, looking ahead just slightly, we know we should not fellowship with that which is false. John tells this chosen lady, not to welcome them into her home. This is not to say we should reject anyone who desires to come into fellowship with our Lord, and who loves the truth, but that we should not accept teaching from those who do not have the truth living in them. This is why the Spirit gives us discernment so that we know who the truth lives in and who it does not. When we think of truth, we only think of Jesus, for he said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the truth and we indeed will have him forever.

Kept Safe

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

KEPT SAFE

1 John 5:18-21

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true — even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

NIV

The concluding remarks include once more the idea that we are safe in Christ. Jesus is supreme overall. Nothing in this world, which is under the control of the evil one, can overpower Christ Jesus. We are born of God and we are kept safe. What can that evil one do to us? Nothing! Oh, he might try. He might give his best to get us to reject Jesus and come over to his side, but he is a loser, and we have already won. We have been given understanding so that we know God is true and he speaks the truth. We also have the understanding the evil one is real, but the only thing he speaks is lies, he is incapable of speaking the truth. He is a deceiver, who only wants to destroy the truth. What we know is that we will remain in Christ and him in us, and we know the truth. The evil one cannot harm us. We also know that we cannot listen to the voices of the world, the supposed wisdom of the world, its philosophies, ideologies and rational, or logic. The voice of the world only echoes the voice of the evil one. This is why the Psalmist warned us that we should not take the counsel of the ungodly, which is the world that is under the control of the evil one. Every principle of this world comes from the evil one. That is why we do not pay attention to those principles as we are not citizens of this world, but our citizenship is in the kingdom of God. We live by the principles of God. We live in Christ, safe and secure from all alarm. We have been declared holy and blameless in the sight of God. The evil one would want us to feel guilt, condemnation, and that only leads to despair and hopelessness. Jesus paid the price for our freedom, and we are not condemned or guilty. The Lord has declared us innocent and has set us free, and because Jesus has set us free, we are free indeed. That is the only truth that counts. That is the truth we can count on, that we can base our life on, that we can live in hope that brings us love, joy, and peace in our hearts. Jesus sent the Spirit so that we can know and understand this truth. There is no mystery in the truth for we have been given understanding. We are kept safe.

Committing Sin

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

COMMITTING SIN

 1 John 5:16-17

16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

NIV

This seems to refer back to what John said about anyone who is born of God does not keep sinning. However, this sin that leads to death is far different than keeping from sinning. First, we have to come to terms with the sin that does not lead to death, which is every other kind of sin than the one sin that leads to death. The fact is we cannot ever be completely free of all sin, for if that where the case, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, all the Apostles, including Paul would have confessed or affirmed their achievement of perfection. They were considered righteous, just as we are because we believe God and have accepted his grace. It is not our desire,  nor the desire of our brother to habitually, willfully commit sin. It is the one who is in league with the evil one, or willfully or by default, who is the habitual sinner, lost, and by their character of wickedness, has condemned selves to death, for their ways are the sin that leads to death. We, however, have not that character of willful and habitual sin. Our desire is to walk in the path of God, the path of righteousness because we are in Christ and he is our righteousness. It is because we have decided to follow Jesus and we walk this path of God, we do not desire to give way to the path of wickedness. So then because we are not perfect and we know that our brothers are not either, and we all fail from time to time and yield to some degree to some temptation, we should always be in prayer for each other. Our prayers should not be with any condemnation, or judgment as who of us can cast the first stone. However, should a brother, a child of God, a Christian make the choice to leave the path of God and give totally into the influence of the evil one, leaving his faith, for total self-reliance, self-gratification, self-absorption and denounces God, and Jesus, then he has left life for death. Some would say that this person never was a believer in the first place, for no true believer would ever make that choice, to return to the old self from which they came. Yet, John says there is a sin which leads to death and it is possible that a brother could commit such a sin and if that brother makes that leap from the path of God, to the path of wickedness, then he is beyond our prayers. However, for us who are on the path of God and fall at times to temptation, we should pray for each other, that we will be strengthened and forgiven of our sin, fully covered by the grace of God. True, all sin, anything we do that is sin and is wrongdoing, and any wrongdoing is sin. So we make every effect, however puny it is in our own strength, to keep from sinning. Therefore we must not rely on self, but on the power of the Spirit, and the grace of God, for the forgiveness of our and our brother’s sin, so we pray in accordance with how we were taught to pray. Our Father, who are in heaven, hallow be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, amen.

His Will

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

HIS WILL

 1 John 5:13-15

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.

NIV

So, the key is knowing what his will is. If we ask anything according to his will, we can have the confidence that he hears us and because he hears us we can know, without a doubt, that whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him. But, again, it is back to the key of knowing his will, because the opposite of this would be that whatever we ask that is not in accordance with His will, we will not have it. James gives us that truth when he says we have not because we ask not or because we ask amiss or with the wrong motives. It is not as though we can ask God for anything that we want to waste on our own passions or lusts. Our asking has to be in conformance with what he desires for us. We might be able to say that there are some general wills of God that we can be sure of, such as accepting Jesus as His Son. Another would be that He is the God that heals us. Jesus sure showed that part of the Father’s will by healing all that came to him. We also may know that it is God’s will to provide for us. He demonstrated that providing manna and quail for the Israelites in the wilderness. He also showed this provision many other times, such as with the widow’s jars of oil and flour when she provided bread for Elijah from the last of her supply. From then on her jars were never empty. So what we want should be what God wants and then we know that what we want we will have. What do we do when we do not get want we want? Do we just keep asking day after day, week after week, and year after year? That could get a little depressing, or discouraging at the least. Maybe, just maybe we should reevaluate whether what we are asking for is in accordance with His will. Maybe we are asking with the wrong motives. Maybe we ask for healing so we would be free of pain, instead of wanting to bring glory to him. Maybe we are asking for someone to get saved so that we feel good about their salvation, especially if it is a family member, instead of asking because it will bring glory to Him. Just some thoughts about how we ask, or why we ask. Maybe we are asking the right way, but then we would have what we are asking, at least that is what is being told to us here. So it still comes down to knowing what the will of God is. Therefore our main objective is to always be in the will of God regarding our lives and listening to the voice of the Spirit, asking him to reveal the truth of the will of the Father so we ask for the correct things that will bring honor and glory to God.

The Agreement

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

THE AGREEMENT

1 John 5:6-12

6 This is the one who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

NIV

A great deal has been written and debated as to what this water and blood means. Some have thought the water refers to the flesh, which he was born of water, such as a natural birth occurs so that it testifies that he was fully man. Then the blood would have been that which he shed for the remission of our sins. The Spirit, whom we know, testifies within our hearts regarding Jesus. Others see the water as that which John the Baptist used to baptize Jesus and at that moment the voice of God and the Spirit together testified that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ. Then, of course, the blood is still that which he shed. If our great scholars cannot come to a common consensus regarding the meaning of the water and blood, then it is doubtful we might fully understand or get the true meaning. However, it should be plain. All three, the water, the blood, and the Spirit are a testimony of God which he has given about his Son. God said that Jesus came by water and blood. It is not that something happened to him regarding water and blood, such as baptism and the shedding of his blood. However, the Greek word translated as by, has a far more complex meaning than just as by. It could be translated as: because, through, or the result of, with lots of ways in which it could be applied. But the fact is still the same. God has testified that Jesus is his Son and he has given us the Spirit who testifies within us to that truth. What we might see is that before the foundation of the earth the Spirit of God hovered over the waters, and it was Jesus who created all things. So Jesus started with the water, he came from water. We know that is a far-fetched idea, but no one has come up with anything that is in agreement with the others. Nevertheless, we believe in the Son of God because we have a testimony in our hearts. Whatever the truth is about the water and the blood, we know it is true, because the Spirit testifies in agreement, so that all three give true testimony that Jesus is the Son of God and that He has given us eternal life. There is nothing else that counts. This is the most encouraging truth in our lives, that because we believe Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus is divine, that He is God, as the Father and the Spirit are God, the three in one, water, blood, and Spirit, all three agree that Jesus is the Son of God and as we agree, we also have eternal life. The world cannot offer us eternal life, but only eternal death. So we reject the world and we accept the Son and we have eternal life. All that this life has to offer cannot compare to the life we have in Christ. We were also born of water, as Jesus told Nicodemus. So Jesus was born of water, being fully man. Someday, we will give up the lifeblood that flows in our veins, experiencing the death of this body, as Jesus died on the cross. However, we will also experience the power of the Spirit in being resurrected from the dead, just as Jesus was. So the three are in agreement, in His life and it will be in ours as well. In addition, God made an agreement with us. If we accept His Son, He gives us eternal life. Some would disagree with God, and even the fact that God is. But we agree with God and he agrees with us. We are in agreement.

Overcoming the World

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

OVERCOMING THE WORLD

1 John 5:1-5

5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

NIV

We do believe that Jesus is the Christ. There is no doubt whatsoever that Jesus is the Christ. We have read the word of God, the Holy Scriptures, the bible and we believe every word. It testifies that Jesus is the Christ. Therefore we are born of God. We certainly were born of the flesh, but now we are born of God. What is flesh, is flesh and it grows old and will someday die, but what is born of God is of the spirit and our spirit will never grow old nor will it die. In fact, our flesh will one day be resurrected and we will be ageless, as Christ is ageless. So because we love God we love his begotten Son. The Greek does not use the word for children here but is more like begotten, and that we know is the word that refers to Jesus, the one begotten of God. However, John goes on to include that because we love God and Jesus, we love his children, who would be our brothers, and we would carry out the commands of God. We are told that is what love is, to obey his commands. So then we first have to find out what are His commands. We know they are not burdensome because we are born of God and in being born again, we have already overcome the world. By overcoming the world, it means we are no longer subject to the principles of the world, we do not have to live by the world’s way of living, which leads to death or perish. We have overcome that because we have eternal life, we live by the principles of God. But, back to his commands. What are his commands? Of course, the first thing most of us think about is the Ten Commandments. Then again, God also gave the children of Israel many other commands as recorded in the Pentateuch. They could not keep them, which is referred to as the Law of Moses, nor can we. No one can fully keep all the commands in the Old Testament, because that was their purpose, so it would lead people to Christ. It is only in Jesus that we overcome the world, and fully live, obeying the commands of God. We are told that the work or command of God is to believe in the one he sent. Jesus, when asked about the commands of God, said there are two, which is to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He then said that all the Law and the Prophets hang in those two commands. So that if we do those two we are fulfilling all the law, all the commands of God. We need not worry about making any lists or listing all the commands. All we have to do is to love Him with all our being, our soul, our heart, our mind, and our strength, and love our neighbor in the same way we love ourselves. That is overcoming all the principles of the world. But John also makes sure we know that the main reason we have overcome the world is not about how we act, or how much we love others, but only because we believe Jesus is the Son of God. That is more than just believing in Jesus. People can believe Jesus existed, but not that he was the Son of God and therefore they are not overcomers. But we are overcomers because we do believe Jesus is the Son of God. When we look at the seven letters to the churches in the revelation that was given to John, we see the results of overcoming the world. We will be able to eat from the tree of life. We will not be hurt by the second death. We will eat of the hidden manna and also be given a new name written in stone. We will be given authority over the nations. Our names will never be blotted out from the book of life. We will be made a pillar in the temple of God, never to leave it. No one will be able to take hold of our crown. We will have the name of God written on us. We will be given the right to sit on the throne with Jesus. Now, who in their right mind would rather have the world, which will be destroyed, then all that God is giving us just because we believe Jesus is the Son of God and thus we have overcome the world.

We Must

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

WE MUST

1 John 4:19-21

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

NIV

If we have not gotten it before, John makes sure we hear it one more time. We did not decide to love God first and then He returns His love to us. All love begins with God. He is a God of action and not of reaction. Without the love of God, it would not be possible for us to love. It was His love which created the world and all that is in it, including us who He created in His own image. God is love. So we love because He first loved us. Now, John makes the point one more time, just in case we missed it before. If we say that we love God and do not love our brother, or John actually says if we hate our brother, then we are a liar. If we hate our brother, we do not love God. That is as plain and simple as it can be said. That Greek word translated as hate carries the meaning to pursue with hatred, to detest. It is the same Greek word both Matthew and Luke used quoting Jesus when he said regarding God and money, that we would either, that is one or the other, love one and hate the other. We cannot love both God and money. So John makes this case regarding our brother and God. In this sense, we must love both. We cannot say that we love God and hate a brother. If we hate a brother we hate God. That is strong language, yet it is the truth. However, hate is a very powerful word that means we are in pursuit of our brother with hatred. That sounds like we chase him down to do him harm. Yet, it also carries that meaning of detest, which we can do internally without our brother even knowing how much we detest him. This kind of hatred does our brother no harm, but it certainly does a great deal of harm to ourselves, in fact, it makes us out to be a liar, for in fact, then we really do not love God, we are just professing we love him without the evidence within and without. If we hold any ill feelings at all toward someone, it will eventually become evident for all to see. This ill-feeling will manifest itself in various ways. It will affect our continence when we are in that person’s presence. It may even show up just as a facial expression whenever that person’s name is mentioned. Certainly, it becomes apparent if we engage in any gossip at all regarding that person, especially if is of a negative nature. No, the plain truth is that if we say that we love God, then we have to love our brother. There is no way to get around this, we must love our brother. Of course, not in the same kind of love the agape love, the benevolent love God demonstrated by sending Jesus to die for our sins. But this is the agapao love which is in a social or moral sense. Yet John uses that same form, yet just different enough to be more of the agape type love. He used agapo`omen for our love to him and eeg`apeesen, love our brother So there is a difference in the love of God for us and the love we have for our brothers. Yet the fact remains we must love our brother. We cannot get away with anything less. We must love.

Living With Confidence

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

LIVING WITH CONFIDENCE

1 John 4:16-18

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

NIV

John continues with this theme that God is love. This first part is actually considered the second half of verse 16 and why some translations divide it or start a new sentence is strange. But it should be connected to all of this thought as one.

1 John 4:16

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

NIV

So if we live in love, we live in God, and God lives in us. The opposite of that would be living in hate, therefore we would not be living in God nor him in us. But we know how much he loves us and we do love him and so we do live in him and he lives in us. Now does that mean we always do everything in our lives based on love? That would have to mean we never ever get angry or upset, or have any other feelings toward all people other than love. But we also know that is not completely true if we are honest with ourselves. However, the point John is driving at is the love we have for God and knowing that love he has for us. It is this relationship between God and his people that makes love compete. It is because of this we can have the confidence on the Day of Judgment because in this world we are like him. Now that cannot mean we are divine, by any means, but that we have God dwelling within us, rather the following after the ways of the world, we follow after the ways of God. It is our passion to become like Jesus, although we do fail all too often, it is still what we desire. However, the fact is we can have the confidence on the Day of Judgment because of the love of God and because we decided to accept Jesus as His Son. Our confidence is not in the flesh, in how good we are, or how little we sin. Our confidence is only because of Jesus. Because we live in the love of God, having accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have nothing to fear from God. John makes sure we know that fear is based on being punished. So that if we feared that God would punish us just because we sinned, that would not be living in the love of God. God does not punish us for our sin, in fact, through the blood of Christ, our sin has been taken away. Through the blood of Jesus, there is remission of sin. That is the debt we should pay is death and he paid it for us. We no longer owe a debt for our sin, because of the love of God and so we do not fear him but love him. If we have any fear of God than our love for him is incomplete. But we do love him and he loves us so our love is made complete, it is perfect, lacking nothing. This is why we live with confidence.

We Know

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

WE KNOW

1 John 4:13-16

13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

NIV

If there was ever any doubt whatsoever that we live in God and he is us, John puts this doubt to rest once and for all. Well, actually the Spirit puts it to rest because we have been given the Spirit and He testifies to the truth within us. Because we live in God, we will also be in his physical presence someday, that is we already have eternal life. We are saved, born again, a child of God who has the Spirit living within us assuring us of this truth. We have acknowledged Jesus is the Son of God. We know that is true. Once the Spirit of God convicted us of this truth, we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and know in our hearts the truth of the gospel. Because we have been given the Spirit, it is almost inconceivable why people refuse to see Jesus as the Son of God.  Still, we know it is sin that blinds them to this truth, as we too were once blinded by our sin. Why we were given sight is still a mystery when so many are still blind. However, we praise our Lord for sending the Spirit and however, or why we were able to hear his voice, feel his conviction, has to be from God. John was a first-hand witness to Jesus being the Son of God, gives his testimony to that fact. Our salvation is based solely on our believing Jesus is the Son of God. There is nothing we can do or say that will affect our having eternal life, it is only through faith in Jesus that we are saved. However, there is something else John makes a point of. Because we have God living in us, and we know he loves us, we rely on the love God has for us. Although the Greek does not have the word rely on, it is implied in the word, have believed, in the sense that this word means we have put our trust in Him or rely on His love. Once we relied on our self, our abilities, and our intelligence to make it through this life. But in doing this, we had no hope of eternal life. Although we sought love, and perhaps found a fragile fragment of it, we never were able to experience the true love God offers. However, since we have accepted Jesus as the Son of God and have received the Spirit and He now dwells within us, we have and are experiencing and relying on the love of God. This is not a mystery, this is not just a hope, this is something we know.

Love From God

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER OF JOHN

LOVE FROM GOD

1 John 4:7-12

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

NIV

What else can we say that would enhance what this says? What we do know is that God created us with the inherent need for love. He created both male and female for the purpose of being united, becoming one. This can only be done with love. Without love, there can be no joining of a man and a woman as one. Love is essential to our relationship with our spouse. We are born with a love shaped hole in our heart and we seek out love to fill it. When we think of God in three persons, or as the three in one, we have to see that this mystical union of the three in one is based in love. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father, the Spirit loves the Father and the Son, and the Father and the Son love the Spirit. When God created us, He did it in love and He has always loved his creation. Has he been disappointed with his creation? Of course, we know he has, even to the point of bringing that great flood to destroy all but eight, because they had become so wicked and turned their backs on him, not returning his love. John tells us just how great the love of God is for us. He sent his Son into the world that we might live through him. What we do not know is why he decided to destroy the wicked with a flood and yet provided his Son so that we might be saved. Why did he not save them, but saved us? Were they more wicked then we are? That is the question some have posed. How can God be love, if he killed so many people? What we also are able to see is that it was not his hatred for them, but their hatred for Him that caused their destruction. The whole experience of Noah and the ark gave a picture of what was going to happen on an even a grander stage and eternal stage. All the while Noah was building the ark he preached to the people, repent, and they refused. God gave the people over a hundred years to repent, and they refused, so they perished. Now, we have Jesus and the cross. God loves his creation so much he provided a way for all his creation to get into the ark, so to speak, by getting into the cross, accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. No greater love can be displayed, then God sending Jesus to die in the cross shed his blood for the remission of our sins. If God loves us that much, should we certainly love him, but we also should love each other. Our hearts have been filled with love, from God and from our spouse, who he gave to us. But we also should love others. Love is from God, and we need love as others need love. One of the greatest ways in which we can show our love toward others is to make sure they know of the love of God. God showed his love through action, so then it would make sense we cannot just say we love you, but need to show our love through actions. Again, talking about how Paul defined it in his letter to the Corinthians, we can see love in action, as well as, sharing the message of God’s love with those who are still in danger of perishing, because they have not accepted his love. So we first, need to live because of the love of God, and we should tell others of the love from God.