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Let a clear understanding of what you want guide them in expressing love toward others.

Let a clear understanding of
what you want guide them
in expressing love toward others.

August
is
Discernment Month

By Ed Corley

We pray…
THAT your love may abound yet increasingly in knowledge
and in all judgment;—Philippians 1:9

HEAVENLY FATHER,

Please give these ones for whom I pray
the knowledge and discernment to
make right decisions in the matters before them.

Let a clear understanding of
what you want guide them
in expressing love toward others.

Let sound judgment work in all their relationships
with others so they won't become trapped
in situations outside of Your will.

Work into them the right way of
responding to all of those
with whom they are involved,

In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ….

These passages from I John and those indicated as
“My Interpretation” are my own as studied from the
Received Text of the New Testament.

I John 1:1-10

1 The One Who is from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our eyes, Whom we have gazed upon, and the One for Whom our hands have reached when we were in the darkness—concerning the Word of the Life:

2 And the Life came clearly into the Light, and we have seen, and bear witness, and announce to you the Life that is eternal, which was face to face with the Father, and has become manifestly open to us.

3 What we have seen and heard we announce to you, in order that you also might have fellowship with us. And our fellowship, indeed, is with Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

4 And we write these things to you, in order that your joy might be brought into the fullness.

5 And this is the precept which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him.

6 If we are saying that we are having fellowship with Him, and we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and we hold no regard for the Truth.

7 But if we are walking in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have an ongoing fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son is setting us free from the influence of all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just that He might release us from the guilt of the sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we continue saying that we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His Word is not in us.

I John 2:1-17

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you in order that you not sin (even one time). But if anyone commit a sin, we have an advocate (a Paraclete) face to face with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous One;

2 and He is a propitiation (One Who appeases God’s wrath) concerning our sins, and not on behalf of us only, but also in behalf of everyone in the world.

3 and in this way we know that we have come to know Him, if we are keeping (keeping watch like a sentry over) His commandments (His orders, His directions).

4 Whoever goes about saying I have come to know Him and has no regard for His orders is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But who ever holds strong regard for His Word of command, truly in this one the Love of God has come to its perfection (its fullness, its completion). In this we know that we are in Him. (In this we have assurance that we have entered into His spirit, His love, His views, His light, His power, His authority, His union with the Father.)

6 Whoever is saying that he is abiding in Him is bound, just as He walked, also himself to walk. (Whoever is making the confession that he is in Christ is then bound to live like He lived.)

7 Brothers, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have held from beginning. The old commandment is the Word which you heard from beginning.

8 Again, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness has passed and the true Light is already shining.

Growing Out Of A Love Balanced

With Sound Judgment

John, the “beloved” lets us know in clear terms that Love is to abound yet more and more flowing like a spring of living water from God. We will see this as we study and pray this month from I John.

Love, especially as it works in the human heart, tends toward emotional responses. If love is over balanced with emotions, it can lead a person into making wrong judgments and harmful decisions. It can bring about situations and associations that are regrettable and that open the way for pain and sorrow.

This month we learn to pray that those we love may have the good sense to make right decisions based on a love that is balanced with good judgment. We ask the Lord to add certain things to love—knowledge, sound judgment, and the ability to make right decisions.

Those in whom certain kinds of love are freshly moving often make unwise decisions. They find themselves entrapped in regrettable situations. Sometimes misguided love leads into a circumstance with no human solution. Often, in cases like this, praying that releases a miracle from the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can provide an answer.

We pray that the Love of God will gain strength in us as we proceed with this month’s discipline.

DAY 1—Paul knew Christ living in himself.

Paul knew Christ. He met Him after He had walked among men, after He had healed blind men, after He had raised the dead, after He was crucified, buried and was Himself raised from the dead. There came to be a special bond between Paul and Christ. Christ was Paul’s life. The Spirit of the risen Christ lived in Paul. He shared His faith, His wisdom, His knowledge, His grace with Paul. Paul didn’t get to know Jesus the way John knew Him. But—what he knew was wonderful. In his own testimony, he said, ...I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).Then, take note of what Paul said in the following Scripture about the compassion of Christ that he held within his own heart.

Philippians 1:8-10—For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ (God is my witness how I have a strong feeling of love for you all brought on by the compassion I share with Jesus Christ). And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (discernment); that ye may approve things that are excellent...(that you may be able to put things to the test and decide what is best).
NIrV—God can give witness that I long for all of you. I love you with the love that Christ Jesus gives. I pray that your love will grow more and more. And let it be based on knowledge and understanding. Then you will be able to know what is best...

DEAR LORD, I just simply want more of the Love that You give. I know of no other way to attain this Love than to ask You for it. So, that’s what I’m doing today. And LORD, won’t You please bring me to the place where I can let that Love move through me to touch the lives of these that I name before You. Then—let Your Love begin moving through me to touch these who oppose You. Help me show them how powerful Your Love is.

The Exceedingly Great Bounds of Christ’s Love

—Romans 5:5-8

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DAY 2—John wrote a Letter about knowing Jesus.

John knew Jesus. He lived with Him. He walked in the crowds with Him. He saw Him heal blind men. He watched Him raise the dead. He heard Him tell a cripple man to take up his bed and walk. He was there when Jesus died. He was with Him through those forty days after He came from the dead. He loved Jesus. Jesus loved Him. There was a special bond between them. Out of that bond he wrote the Letter we know as I John. In this Letter, John tells us how we can know Jesus the same way he came to know Him.

I John 1:1,2—That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon (which we have gazed upon), and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
NIrV—Here is what we announce to everyone about the Word of life. He was already here from the beginning. We have heard him. We have seen him with our eyes. We have looked at him. Our hands have touched him.That life has appeared. We have seen him. We give witness about him. And we announce to you that same eternal life. He was already with the Father. He has appeared to us.
My Interpretation—The One Who is from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our eyes, Whom we have gazed upon, and the One for Whom our hands have reached when we were in the darkness—concerning the Word of the Life: And the Life came clearly into the Light, and we have seen, and bear witness, and announce to you the Life that is eternal, which was face to face with the Father, and has become manifestly open to us.

O, GREAT REDEEMER, every day that goes by You are meaning more and more to me. As I’m getting to know You personally, Your Love and Faith is becoming real in me. I know it’s Your grace that is bringing this about, because I don’t deserve it. I praise You! Now, won’t You please draw these that I name before You? Draw them up close to Your heart so they too can know how much You love them.

John understood that the Jesus he knew was the expression in time of the eternal Word of God.—John 1:1-14

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DAY 3—John wrote his first Epistle that others might know the fellowship he knew.

John delivered nothing by hearsay, nothing by tradition, nothing by guess work. He had the fullest certainty of all that he preached and wrote about the Lord Jesus. John knew Him as the eternal Word of God made flesh. His Word about Jesus was sharp and well defined. It was sent forth with the purpose of drawing us who believe into the same communion that he had come to know with God the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

One of the promises from Jesus that John recorded pointed to the communion that we who are believers would know after the Holy Spirit had come. Shortly before He was crucified, Jesus had said, At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you—John 14:20. That day to which He had reference was the day when the promised Holy Spirit would come.

I John 1:3-5—That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship (Greek koinonía), communion, participation) with us: and truly our fellowship (koinonía) is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
My Interpretation—What we have seen and heard we announce to you, in order that you also might have fellowship with us. And our fellowship, indeed, is with Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And we write these things to you, in order that your joy might be brought into the fullness. And this is the precept which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him.

DEAR FATHER, I praise You for sending Your Spirit to dwell in us. I praise You for the communion we share. I praise You that You have redeemed us so we can participate with You in Your Kingdom on earth. Please draw these in my family into that communion. And here are some more that I ask You to call into this blessed fellowship in Your Kingdom.

Like the Word from John, so the Word from Paul has an effect on those who receive it.—Romans 16:25,27

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DAY 4—John’s Letter points us to real joy.

Joy and Light were two results that John knew would come into the lives of us who open ourselves to fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Both Joy and Light come as the result of our knowing Him living His Life in us. We come to know that all of our life revolves around our knowing Who He is and Where He is. One can be very religious and attend church often and still have little joy and live in spiritual darkness. It’s because religion and attendance are not where abiding Joy and Light are. They are ours when we learn that He Who said He would never leave us is, indeed, true.

I John 1:6,7—If we say that we have fellowship (kownoni’a, communion, which is fellowship) with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
NIrV—Suppose we say that we share life with God but still walk in the darkness. Then we are lying. We are not living by the truth. But suppose we walk in the light, just as he is in the light. Then we share life with one another. And the blood of Jesus, his Son, makes us pure from all sin.
My Interpretation—If we are saying that we are having fellowship with Him, and we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and we hold no regard for the Truth. But if we are walking in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have an ongoing fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son is setting us free from the influence of all sin.

Romans 15:13—Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
NIrV—May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

O, GREAT REDEEMER, I didn’t know Joy until You brought it into my life. Neither did I know real Light until You shed Your Light in my soul. I praise You for this. Won’t You please send Your Joy into these that I love. Let it be a Joy that wipes out the sorrow and shame they have lived with for so many years. Let Your Light shine in their hearts so they can see the way through the darkness in their world.

It is time for us to put away darkness and put on the
armor of light.—Romans 13:11-14
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DAY 5—John’s Letter lets us know we can deal with our sin by confessing it.

Some people are afraid to deal with their sin in the way the Word of the Lord directs us to deal with it. They had rather try and keep it hidden. But, there is no possible way we can keep our sin hidden. It is clear the Lord...will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels (the determinations) of the hearts (II Cor 4:5).

Also, we remember that ...every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is (I Cor 3:13).

I John 1:8-10—If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.
NIrV—Suppose we claim we are without sin. Then we are fooling ourselves. The truth is not in us. -But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure. -If we say we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar. His Word has no place in our lives.

II Corinthians 4:6—For God, Who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. NIrV—God said, “Let Light shine out of darkness.” (Genesis 1:3) He made His Light shine in our hearts. It shows us the Light of God’s glory in the face of Christ.

LORD, I present myself before You. Please search me and try me. Let no hidden thing remain in me that is offensive to You or to Your Kingdom. As I wait before You today, let Your Spirit shine in me and reveal anyway in which I am wrong. Give me the grace to confess my sin. As You cleanse me, please make me a vessel useful for Your Kingdom.

The Presentation of Our Hearts before the Lord
—Psalm 139:23,24

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DAY 6—John tells us we have an Advocate with God,
Jesus Christ the Righteous.

In this part of John’s Epistle we learn of the wondrous provision God has opened to us to deal with our sins. It is certain that sin will meet its judgment. Every sin has in it the seed of its own judgment. But, in His Love and Mercy God has given us an Advocate. This is our Paraclete, the One Who comes along beside us—like a Divine Lawyer—to plead our case. As for dealing with our sin, our Paraclete takes upon Himself the penalty for our sin. In dying for us, He became ...the propitiation for our sins. Thus, all God’s wrath against our sin is appeased by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.

I John 2:1,2—My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
NIrV—My dear children, I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. But suppose someone does sin. Then we have One who speaks to the Father for us. He stands up for us. He is Jesus Christ, the Blameless One. He gave His life to pay for our sins. But He not only paid for our sins. He also paid for the sins of the whole world.

Colossians 1:16,17—For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by him all things consist.
NIrV—All things were created by him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can't be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. Everything was created by him and for him. Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together.

GRACIOUS LORD, I love You for bearing my sin in Your Own body on the cross. Oh, what love! What compassion! It amazes me that the very One who made the world, and all the universe, died for my sin. Please help me to keep on remembering this. May I despise the sin that tried to rule me. And DEAR LORD, please, open the hearts of these I hold before You. Let them come to know Your love for them.

Christ Jesus is the propitiation for our sins
.—Romans 3:25; I John 2:2; I John 4:10

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DAY 7—John tells us how we can know that we have been saved.

One of the most wondrous things that happened to me after I received the Lord Jesus as my Savior was gaining the assurance of my salvation. I would have supposed this might have been settled by my feelings. But I soon learned that my feelings were fickle. It was when I discovered the faithfulness and power of the Word of God that I gained assurance in salvation.

What Paul said in Romans 10:13 was the beginning Word that made it sure in my heart that I was saved. He said, For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. I knew I had called upon the Name of the Lord asking Him to save me. When I acknowledged that this Word in Romans is faithful and true, assurance of salvation became mine.

I John 2:3-5—And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the Love of God perfected (has come to completion): hereby know we that we are in Him.
NIrV—We know that we have come to know God if we obey His commands. Suppose someone says, “I know Him.” But suppose that person does not do what God commands. Then that person is a liar and is not telling the truth. But if anyone obeys God’s Word, then God’s Love is truly made complete in that person. Here is how we know we belong to Him.

FATHER, the assurance You have placed in my heart that I am Yours is the most wonderful thing I know. I thank You for this. Thank You for keeping me even when I was not all that I should have been as one of Your saved ones. Now, here are these who don’t seem to know they are saved. Please draw them on by Your Spirit. Cause them to know that Your grace is free and powerful. Let the joy of salvation come upon them.

A Review of Paul’s Wonderful Statement about
Our Salvation—Romans 3:23-26

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DAY 8—Once a person confesses that he is in Christ, he is obliged to live according to the pattern Jesus set for us.

A responsibility comes upon us when we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior. A few lines of poetry came to me when I was a new believer that impressed on me that I was to start living differently than I had lived before I opened my heart to the Lord. I would not work my soul to save, for that my Lord has done, but I would work like any slave for love of God’s dear Son.

This was not a Word from the Bible, but it did leave an impression on my young heart. It came through to me that my salvation had not come by any works I had done. It also made a strong impression on me that the motivation of my service unto the Lord would come because of my love for Him, not because of any necessity laid upon me to remain in His favor.

I John 2:6-8—He that saith he abideth in Him ought (is indebted, is obliged) himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the Word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness (of your own soul) is past, and the true Light now shineth.
NIrV—Those who claim to belong to Him must live just as Jesus did. Dear friends, I’m not writing you a new command. Instead, I’m writing one you have heard before. You have had it since the beginning. But I am writing what amounts to a new command. Its truth was shown in how Jesus lived. It is also shown in how you live. The darkness is passing away. The true Light is already shining.

DEAR LORD, the Light You have brought into my heart shines brighter than any light I’ve ever known. Thank You for setting me free from the darkness that once closed in on me. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing. But, when You came in, everything changed. Sometimes I’ve slipped. I thank You for not throwing me overboard when I did. You are so gracious and loving. Please draw me on till everything about my life is pleasing to You.

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DAY 9—The Measure of Our Devotion to the Lord

A good measurement as to how much we love the Lord can be seen in how much we love the people around us. Jesus made it quite clear that we serve Him by serving others. The same channel in which Love flows to others is the channel in which our Love flows to Him.

I John 2:9-11—He that saith he is in the Light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the Light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
NIrV—Suppose someone claims to be in the Light but hates his brother or sister. Then he is still in the darkness. Those who love their brothers and sisters are living in the Light. There is nothing in them to make them fall into sin. But those who hate a brother or sister are in the darkness. They walk around in the darkness. They don’t know where they are going. The darkness has made them blind.

Matthew 25:40— And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
NIrV—All things were created by him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can't be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. Everything was created by him and for him. Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together.

LORD, teach me to see You in those who are suffering. Teach me to hold the right regard for those who are of a lesser degree of cleanliness and manners than I think is right. Show me how much You love all the people that I have a tendency to look down upon. And, Lord, help me remember the prisoners as if chained with them.

John’s reasons for writing—I John 2:12-14

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DAY 10—Getting Our Freedom from the Strongholds of the World

There is a tendency among many Christians today to allow the world to keep a stronghold on them. Even if worldly ways are spreading through believers around us, this is no excuse for any one of us to follow in like suit. When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are renouncing the system of the world that rejected and killed Him. This is the reason John admonished us to stay free from the ways of the world.

I John 2:15-17—Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the Love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
NIrV—Do not love the world or anything in it. If you love the world, Love for the Father is not in you. Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful natures want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They brag about what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. It doesn’t come from the Father. The world and its evil longings are passing away. But those who do what God wants them to do live forever.

John 17:15—I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (the evil one).
NIrV—I do not pray that you will take them out of the world. I pray that you will keep them safe from the evil one.

FATHER, please help me be rightly related to the world. I don’t want to be isolated from the very ones for whom Your Son died. But, I want to walk among them as a true witness for Him. Please set me free from the things of the world that are trying to draw me away from You. Set me free from all the forces at work in the world that oppose Your Kingdom.

Taking Note How God Loved the Lord—John 3:16

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As the final hour approaches,anti-Christ activity will increase.
I John 2:18-24
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DAY 11— There is hope on the horizon for believers as the
final hour approaches.

The passage below brings us to “the final hour.” Its words give both insight and warning as to what will take place when the time of the anti-Christ draws near. Subtle deception, particularly about Jesus Christ, will become strong among Christians. The anointing of God’s Spirit, however, will set up a guard in us.

I John 2:18-20—Little children, it is the last time (it is a final hour): and as ye have heard that (the) anti-Christ shall come, even now are there many anti-Christs; whereby we know that it is the last time (it is a final hour). They (the anti-Christs) went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction (an anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things (I believe this means we will instinctively know, or recognize, all the anti-Christ spirits that have gone out from our midst. Because we know what they are, we will not follow them.).
Young’s Literal Translation—Little youths, it is the last hour; and even as ye heard that the antichrist doth come, even now antichrists have become many—whence we know that it is the last hour. Out of us they went forth, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but—that they might be manifested that they are not all of us. And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and have known all things...

FATHER, my understanding is very poor, especially with regard to what is taking place on the world scene right now. But—I praise You for sending Your Spirit to dwell within us. I believe He will guide us through this time. And—we claim Your protection through all this perilous time.

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DAY 12—The anti-Christ’s attacks on the truth will become more determined—and subtle.

The greatest tactic of the anti-Christ is aimed toward convincing believers that Jesus was not the Christ. Anti-Christ wants Christ’s Throne for himself. He wants to reign over the nations. He supposes he can gain this position even though it has been given by Covenant to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One Who came as the Seed of Woman, the Seed of David, the Seed of Abraham.

In successive promises by Covenant, He is sustained in His place of triumph as “the Serpent Crusher,” the Heir of David’s Throne and the Heir of the promise made to Abraham’s Seed. We enter into areas here that are beyond the ability of most to understand, but in it all we continue to know Him Who leads us from triumph to triumph in the train of His triumph.

I John 2:21-23—I have not written unto you because ye know not the Truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the Truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is anti-Christ, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
NIrV—I'm not writing to you because you don't know the truth but because you do know it. I'm writing to you because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? The person who says that Jesus is not the Christ. People who say that are the enemies of Christ. They say no to the Father and the Son. Those who say no to the Son don't belong to the Father. But anyone who says yes to the Son belongs to the Father also.

Romans 4:13—For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his Seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Take note in the next verse who Abraham’s Seed is.)
NIrV—Abraham and his family received a promise. God promised that Abraham would receive the world. It would not come to him because he obeyed the law. It would come because of his faith, which made him right with God.

Revelation 5:5—And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the Book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (The sealed destiny of mankind remains in Christ’s hands. He alone can open the Book of human destiny which we find sealed in Rev 5.)
NIrV—Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not cry! The Lion of the tribe of Judah has won the battle. He is the Root of David. He is able to break the seven seals and open the scroll."

FATHER, it is still beyond my ability to understand all the above. But I do, indeed, acknowledge Your Son, Jesus Christ, as my Savior and Lord. I acknowledge that He has crushed the head of the serpent, that He is the Seed of David and has the Covenant right to reign over the nations.

Victory and the Beast—Revelation 15:1-4

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DAY 13—There are three factors of hope to which we cling.
ONE is that we can live in close communion with the Lord Jesus.

Our greatest factor of hope is the Word which we ...have heard from the beginning. In this Word is the promise of eternal life that is ours in Christ Jesus. When we are holding on to what He has promised us, we are holding the everlasting hope that is ours in Him. We remember Paul’s word that says, Thanks be to God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ (II Cor 2:14). There will be those who try to seduce us away from this triumph and leave us with no hope. But if we hold, day by day, to the triumph that is ours in Christ, we can remain strong through the time of trouble that the tempter hopes to impose upon us.

I John 2:24-26—Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal Life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you (concerning them that lead you astray, that cause you to wander).
NIrV—Make sure that you don’t forget what you have heard from the beginning. Then you will remain joined to the Son and to the Father. That’s what God has promised us. We have eternal Life. I’m writing these things to warn you about those who are trying to lead you down the wrong path.

LORD, please put within my spirit that work of Your Spirit that will keep me close to You. It’s when I know Your strong embrace within my heart, and when I know Your presence, that the enemy has no chance of drawing me away from You.

Keeping ourselves in the Love of God—Jude 1:20-25

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DAY 14—A second factor of hope is that we learn to be taught by the Holy Spirit as to what is of the anti-Christ and what is divine Truth.

What John says in this passage seems to mean that we who have received the Holy Spirit’s anointing have no further need of other Teachers. This interpretation does not bear out with other Scripture, however. The risen Lord Jesus Christ has set Teachers in His Body to guide and instruct us. For our safety, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will teach us what is Truth and what is deception.

I John 2:27—But the anointing (of the Holy Spirit) which ye have received of Him abideth (remains) in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things (the same anointing that you received is teaching you concerning all of anti-Christ’s ways and actions), and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it (even as the anointing) hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him (you shall remain in Christ, rejecting the anti-Christ). NIrV—But you have received the Holy Spirit from God. He continues to live in you. So you don’t need anyone to teach you. God’s Spirit teaches you about everything. What He says is true. He doesn’t lie. Remain joined to Christ, just as you have been taught by the Spirit.

SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD, keep us safe through the spiritual storm of the latter days. Keep us close to our heavenly Father’s heart. Release within us the discernment needed to recognize the work of anti-Christ spirits. Please bring these I hold before You under right teaching. They have come under spiritual attack and they don’t have the anointing to really know what’s happening to them.

Anti-Christ is on the watch to have intelligence with
—take psychic control of—those who forsake the holy Covenant.
—Daniel 11:30

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DAY 15—The third factor of hope is that we can have a confidence that will save us from shame in the Day of Christ’s appearing.

Scripture teaches that Christ will come again in a Parousía that will stop all the affairs of the world as His Kingdom takes the dominion. Those who abide in Him can rejoice in that day. Those who have refused to submit to the authority of His Government personally will meet that day with fear and shame. But, if we who are believers have come to the place of abiding in Him, we need have no fear of being ashamed in that Day. Instead, we wait for it with a joyful hope.

I John 2:28,29—And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (parousía, His grand coming at the end of this age). [The preceding word when is from the Greek hótan which carries the meaning “whenever.” This could draw this passage to mean “whenever Christ appears...” His appearance might come at any time, unsuspected.] If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him. Those who demonstrate the divine nature can do so only if they have been born again.
NIrV—Dear children, remain joined to Christ. Then when he comes, we can be bold. We will not be ashamed to meet him when he comes. You know that God is right and always does what is right. And you know that everyone who does what is right has been born again because of what God has done.

II Peter 1:3,4—His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
NIrV—God's power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of that has come to us because we know the One who chose us. He chose us because of his own glory and goodness. He has also given us his very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in his nature. He also did it so you could escape from the evil in the world. That evil is caused by sinful longings.

PRECIOUS LORD, take my hand. Lead me—and these I hold before You—on into our place of security in Your bosom. Oh, let us not be misled by the religious spirits that are moving in upon Your Body! Keep our fellowship pure. Keep us safe from the attacks of the enemy that are coming at us in ways we have never known before. Let us not partake of anything that will make us ashamed to stand before You.

Paul’s first Thessalonian Epistle teaches much about Christ’s Parousía.
—I Thessalonians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23

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Amazement at the Love God
Bestowed on Us to Set Us Free from Sin.
I John 3:1-24

~

DAY 16—What kind of love God has given us?

Volumes might be written on the three verses we take for today. Some Gospel song writer—believed by some to have used the walls of his prison cell as a place to write—has summed them up well: Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the sky of parchment made; were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; to write the Love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

I John 3:1-3—Behold (idéte, an exclamation, “Look! See!”), what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us (has given to us), that we should be called *the sons (tekńa, children, those born into the family) of God: therefore the world (ho kósmos, the secular order) knoweth us not, because it knew Him not (Being born into His family, the world doesn’t know us because it didn’t know Him). Beloved, now are we the sons (tekńa, children—There is no article before tekńa. The emphasis simply is that we are children born into the family) of God, and it doth not yet appear (and it has not yet been made manifest) what we shall be: but we know (oída, we know for a certainty) that, when He shall appear (that whenever it is that He might be made manifest), we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as (kathos’, just as) He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
NIrV—How great is the love the Father has given us so freely! Now we can be called children of God. And that's what we really are! The world doesn't know us because it didn't know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God. He still hasn't let us know what we will be. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is. He is pure. All who hope to be like him make themselves pure.

DEAR FATHER, I cannot begin to understand the kind of Love You show toward me. When I think of what kind of person I was when You saved me, it blows my mind to consider that You could ever have loved me. And when I think of how I’ve acted since You saved me, it is even more amazing that You still love me. Please settle me in Your Love. Make me a vessel through whom Your Love will flow on to others. Here now are some people I have not shown much love—and they really need to know Your Love. Help me be genuine in demonstrating Your Love to them and please let them begin seeing it in me!

~

DAY 17—God has set us free from the necessity to commit sin.

The first Scripture to take my attention when I began studying the Greek New Testament was I John. I was a young believer. It was important to me to know how to deal with sin in my life. Even after I was saved, I knew the tendency to sin was still in me. I saw this passage in the King James Version and it disturbed me. It made me wonder if I was truly saved. But when I saw it in the Greek New Testament, hope came.

I John 3:4-8—Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law (Literally, whoever is making a practice of sinning is making a practice of being lawless.): for sin is the transgression of the Law. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not (Literally, whoever is abiding in Him does not continue sinning.): whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you (lead you astray): he that doeth (is doing) righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin (whoever is continuing in sin) is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (The word destroy is from the Greek lúo meaningthat He might undo the works of the devil.)
NIrV—Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact, breaking the law is sin. But you know that Christ came to take our sins away. And there is no sin in him. No one who remains joined to him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has seen him or known him. Dear children, don't let anyone lead you down the wrong path. Those who do what is right are holy, just as Christ is holy. 8 Those who do what is sinful belong to the devil. They are just like him. He has been sinning from the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the devil's work.

There are two words for sin. One, hamartía, means “missing the mark,” and is found in Romans 5:12,13. The other, anomía, means“lawlessness” and is found in II Thessalonians 2:7 and Titus 2:14. Both occur in the above passage from I John.

FATHER, this much is sure: I do not want to continue in sin. By Your grace I expect to overcome the lawless attitude that has worked in me for as long as I can remember. There is so much buried in me that is ugly and wrong that I would have no hope if it were not for Your grace. Oh, I thank You for what Jesus did to undo the works of the devil in me! Let His work continue till I’m completely cleansed from the ravages of the sin that once held me!

~

DAY 18—When we’re born into God’s family,
His nature in us makes us want to quit sinning.

It becomes unnatural for a child of God to continue in sin. This is because a new nature—God’s nature—has entered us. If we do sin, we immediately feel unclean and wish that we had not done what was displeasing to the Lord. That is, unless we allow our heart to become calloused. This happens by doing something over and over again. The first time, we feel badly, but each time we do something wrong, we feel less and badly, till finally we lose all feeling. This is a very bad place to come.

I John 3:9,10—Whosoever is born of (ék) God doth not commit sin (does not go on sinning); for His seed remaineth in him (because God’s nature is living in him): and he cannot sin (and he loses his ability to continue in sin), because he is born of God (because God’s nature has been born in him). In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not (is not doing) righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not (is not loving) his brother.
NIrV—Those who are born again because of what God has done will not keep on sinning. God's very nature remains in them. They can't go on sinning. They have been born again because of what God has done. Here is how you can tell the difference between the children of God and the children of the devil. Those who don't do what is right do not belong to God. Those who don't love their brothers and sisters do not belong to him either.

I Peter 1:22,23—Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth (since your souls have been made pure by your obedience to the truth) through the Spirit unto unfeigned love (a genuine love) of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (all of this being effected by God’s Word which does not decay but is living and remaining forever).
NIrV—You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for your brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply, from the heart. You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts forever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can't die.

FATHER, it’s like You have brought me from the dead. Thank You for the power of Your Word. Thank You for Your Spirit that brought conviction to me and has shown me the way of true Life. Thank You for setting me free so I can love people, especially those that for a long time I could not love.

God’s divine power puts His divine nature in us.—I Peter 1:4,5

~

DAY 19—Cain did not overcome sin because he
allowed jealousy to rule him.

What was in Cain by nature led to his becoming a murderer. His parents had become partakers of what the serpent offered them. This they passed on to their children. However, a Word from the Lord came to Cain offering him the way whereby he might overcome the sin encroaching upon him. God said to him: If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door (sin is crouching at your door like a tiger) And unto thee shall be his (its) desire, and thou shalt rule over him (it)—Genesis 4:7. The interpretation from the New International Reader’s Version is interesting, and is probably closer to what it should mean. Do what is right. Then you will be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It longs to have you. But you must rule over it.

I John 3:11-14—For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. (The seed of jealousy was in the nature of the wicked one and led to Cain’s downfall.) Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto Life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
NIrV—From the beginning we have heard that we should love one another. Don't be like Cain. He belonged to the evil one. He murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because the things Cain had done were wrong. But the things his brother had done were right. My brothers and sisters, don't be surprised if the world hates you. We know that we have left our old dead condition and entered into new life. We know it because we love one another. Those who do not are still living in their old condition.

DEAR LORD, I am looking to You to help me overcome the things that cause me to look down on, and despise, other people. Even if it’s people in the world who hate me, help me demonstrate Your love toward them. I know You died for them just as You died for me.

Our souls can be made pure by obedience to the Truth.

—I Peter 1:22,23

~

DAY 20—The persuasion that convinces our hearts that we know God comes from how much we love others.

If we live our lives totally concerned for our own needs, never caring for the needs of others, we will have difficulty trying to convince ourselves that we belong to God. Without His Love at work in us, the ways of His Kingdom will be remote. We will have no sense of His presence. This is because God is Love. We cannot be related to Him and not love those whom He loves. Today we are giving ourselves over to the Love of God. We will let Him love us. Then, we will let His Love move through us as we make steps toward laying down our lives for others.

I John 3:16-19—Hereby perceive we the Love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the Truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
NIrV—We know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them. If he doesn't take pity on them, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, don't just talk about love. Put your love into action. Then it will truly be love. That's how we know that we hold to the truth. And that's how we put our hearts at rest, knowing that God is watching.

John 13:34,35—A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have Love one to another.
NIrV—"I give you a new command. Love one another. You must love one another, just as I have loved you. If you love one another, everyone will know you are my disciples."

I Thessalonians 4:9—But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
NIrV—We don't need to write to you about love among believers. God himself has taught you to love each other.

LORD, I need Your help. Please teach me more about the kind of Love that will come from You to me. And then, may that Love move on through me on to others. I really do need Your help in this. And I need for You to help me want to love others. I’ve been too much like Cain through most of my life.

What Gives Us Confidence toward God—I John 3:20,21

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DAY 21—How much we love others convinces our hearts that we know God.

How we love others is a factor that determines how our prayers will be answered. Loving others as God gave us commandment, removes us from centering on ourselves. Jesus has told us that when we love others, we are loving Him. We see this in Matthew 25:1-13, where we listen to Jesus teaching about the wise and the foolish virgins. He then taught about the man who went on a jour

Encourage Someone
Today

DISCIPLINE—"prayer-starters"—Part 8

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August
is
Discernment Month

By Ed Corley

We pray…
THAT your love may abound yet increasingly in knowledge
and in all judgment;—Philippians 1:9

HEAVENLY FATHER,

Please give these ones for whom I pray
the knowledge and discernment to
make right decisions in the matters before them.

Let a clear understanding of
what you want guide them
in expressing love toward others.

Let sound judgment work in all their relationships
with others so they won't become trapped
in situations outside of Your will.

Work into them the right way of
responding to all of those
with whom they are involved,

In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ….

These passages from I John and those indicated as
“My Interpretation” are my own as studied from the
Received Text of the New Testament.

I John 1:1-10

1 The One Who is from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our eyes, Whom we have gazed upon, and the One for Whom our hands have reached when we were in the darkness—concerning the Word of the Life:

2 And the Life came clearly into the Light, and we have seen, and bear witness, and announce to you the Life that is eternal, which was face to face with the Father, and has become manifestly open to us.

3 What we have seen and heard we announce to you, in order that you also might have fellowship with us. And our fellowship, indeed, is with Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

4 And we write these things to you, in order that your joy might be brought into the fullness.

5 And this is the precept which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him.

6 If we are saying that we are having fellowship with Him, and we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and we hold no regard for the Truth.

7 But if we are walking in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have an ongoing fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son is setting us free from the influence of all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just that He might release us from the guilt of the sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we continue saying that we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His Word is not in us.

I John 2:1-17

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you in order that you not sin (even one time). But if anyone commit a sin, we have an advocate (a Paraclete) face to face with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous One;

2 and He is a propitiation (One Who appeases God’s wrath) concerning our sins, and not on behalf of us only, but also in behalf of everyone in the world.

3 and in this way we know that we have come to know Him, if we are keeping (keeping watch like a sentry over) His commandments (His orders, His directions).

4 Whoever goes about saying I have come to know Him and has no regard for His orders is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But who ever holds strong regard for His Word of command, truly in this one the Love of God has come to its perfection (its fullness, its completion). In this we know that we are in Him. (In this we have assurance that we have entered into His spirit, His love, His views, His light, His power, His authority, His union with the Father.)

6 Whoever is saying that he is abiding in Him is bound, just as He walked, also himself to walk. (Whoever is making the confession that he is in Christ is then bound to live like He lived.)

7 Brothers, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have held from beginning. The old commandment is the Word which you heard from beginning.

8 Again, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness has passed and the true Light is already shining.

Growing Out Of A Love Balanced

With Sound Judgment

John, the “beloved” lets us know in clear terms that Love is to abound yet more and more flowing like a spring of living water from God. We will see this as we study and pray this month from I John.

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Love, especially as it works in the human heart, tends toward emotional responses. If love is over balanced with emotions, it can lead a person into making wrong judgments and harmful decisions. It can bring about situations and associations that are regrettable and that open the way for pain and sorrow.

This month we learn to pray that those we love may have the good sense to make right decisions based on a love that is balanced with good judgment. We ask the Lord to add certain things to love—knowledge, sound judgment, and the ability to make right decisions.

Those in whom certain kinds of love are freshly moving often make unwise decisions. They find themselves entrapped in regrettable situations. Sometimes misguided love leads into a circumstance with no human solution. Often, in cases like this, praying that releases a miracle from the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can provide an answer.

We pray that the Love of God will gain strength in us as we proceed with this month’s discipline.

~

DAY 1—Paul knew Christ living in himself.

Paul knew Christ. He met Him after He had walked among men, after He had healed blind men, after He had raised the dead, after He was crucified, buried and was Himself raised from the dead. There came to be a special bond between Paul and Christ. Christ was Paul’s life. The Spirit of the risen Christ lived in Paul. He shared His faith, His wisdom, His knowledge, His grace with Paul. Paul didn’t get to know Jesus the way John knew Him. But—what he knew was wonderful. In his own testimony, he said, ...I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).Then, take note of what Paul said in the following Scripture about the compassion of Christ that he held within his own heart.

Philippians 1:8-10—For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ (God is my witness how I have a strong feeling of love for you all brought on by the compassion I share with Jesus Christ). And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (discernment); that ye may approve things that are excellent...(that you may be able to put things to the test and decide what is best).
NIrV—God can give witness that I long for all of you. I love you with the love that Christ Jesus gives. I pray that your love will grow more and more. And let it be based on knowledge and understanding. Then you will be able to know what is best...

DEAR LORD, I just simply want more of the Love that You give. I know of no other way to attain this Love than to ask You for it. So, that’s what I’m doing today. And LORD, won’t You please bring me to the place where I can let that Love move through me to touch the lives of these that I name before You. Then—let Your Love begin moving through me to touch these who oppose You. Help me show them how powerful Your Love is.

The Exceedingly Great Bounds of Christ’s Love

—Romans 5:5-8

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DAY 2—John wrote a Letter about knowing Jesus.

John knew Jesus. He lived with Him. He walked in the crowds with Him. He saw Him heal blind men. He watched Him raise the dead. He heard Him tell a cripple man to take up his bed and walk. He was there when Jesus died. He was with Him through those forty days after He came from the dead. He loved Jesus. Jesus loved Him. There was a special bond between them. Out of that bond he wrote the Letter we know as I John. In this Letter, John tells us how we can know Jesus the same way he came to know Him.

I John 1:1,2—That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon (which we have gazed upon), and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
NIrV—Here is what we announce to everyone about the Word of life. He was already here from the beginning. We have heard him. We have seen him with our eyes. We have looked at him. Our hands have touched him.That life has appeared. We have seen him. We give witness about him. And we announce to you that same eternal life. He was already with the Father. He has appeared to us.
My Interpretation—The One Who is from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our eyes, Whom we have gazed upon, and the One for Whom our hands have reached when we were in the darkness—concerning the Word of the Life: And the Life came clearly into the Light, and we have seen, and bear witness, and announce to you the Life that is eternal, which was face to face with the Father, and has become manifestly open to us.

O, GREAT REDEEMER, every day that goes by You are meaning more and more to me. As I’m getting to know You personally, Your Love and Faith is becoming real in me. I know it’s Your grace that is bringing this about, because I don’t deserve it. I praise You! Now, won’t You please draw these that I name before You? Draw them up close to Your heart so they too can know how much You love them.

John understood that the Jesus he knew was the expression in time of the eternal Word of God.—John 1:1-14

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DAY 3—John wrote his first Epistle that others might know the fellowship he knew.

John delivered nothing by hearsay, nothing by tradition, nothing by guess work. He had the fullest certainty of all that he preached and wrote about the Lord Jesus. John knew Him as the eternal Word of God made flesh. His Word about Jesus was sharp and well defined. It was sent forth with the purpose of drawing us who believe into the same communion that he had come to know with God the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

One of the promises from Jesus that John recorded pointed to the communion that we who are believers would know after the Holy Spirit had come. Shortly before He was crucified, Jesus had said, At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you—John 14:20. That day to which He had reference was the day when the promised Holy Spirit would come.

I John 1:3-5—That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship (Greek koinonía), communion, participation) with us: and truly our fellowship (koinonía) is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
My Interpretation—What we have seen and heard we announce to you, in order that you also might have fellowship with us. And our fellowship, indeed, is with Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And we write these things to you, in order that your joy might be brought into the fullness. And this is the precept which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him.

DEAR FATHER, I praise You for sending Your Spirit to dwell in us. I praise You for the communion we share. I praise You that You have redeemed us so we can participate with You in Your Kingdom on earth. Please draw these in my family into that communion. And here are some more that I ask You to call into this blessed fellowship in Your Kingdom.

Like the Word from John, so the Word from Paul has an effect on those who receive it.—Romans 16:25,27

~

DAY 4—John’s Letter points us to real joy.

Joy and Light were two results that John knew would come into the lives of us who open ourselves to fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Both Joy and Light come as the result of our knowing Him living His Life in us. We come to know that all of our life revolves around our knowing Who He is and Where He is. One can be very religious and attend church often and still have little joy and live in spiritual darkness. It’s because religion and attendance are not where abiding Joy and Light are. They are ours when we learn that He Who said He would never leave us is, indeed, true.

I John 1:6,7—If we say that we have fellowship (kownoni’a, communion, which is fellowship) with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
NIrV—Suppose we say that we share life with God but still walk in the darkness. Then we are lying. We are not living by the truth. But suppose we walk in the light, just as he is in the light. Then we share life with one another. And the blood of Jesus, his Son, makes us pure from all sin.
My Interpretation—If we are saying that we are having fellowship with Him, and we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and we hold no regard for the Truth. But if we are walking in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have an ongoing fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son is setting us free from the influence of all sin.

Romans 15:13—Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
NIrV—May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

O, GREAT REDEEMER, I didn’t know Joy until You brought it into my life. Neither did I know real Light until You shed Your Light in my soul. I praise You for this. Won’t You please send Your Joy into these that I love. Let it be a Joy that wipes out the sorrow and shame they have lived with for so many years. Let Your Light shine in their hearts so they can see the way through the darkness in their world.

It is time for us to put away darkness and put on the
armor of light.—Romans 13:11-14
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DAY 5—John’s Letter lets us know we can deal with our sin by confessing it.

Some people are afraid to deal with their sin in the way the Word of the Lord directs us to deal with it. They had rather try and keep it hidden. But, there is no possible way we can keep our sin hidden. It is clear the Lord...will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels (the determinations) of the hearts (II Cor 4:5).

Also, we remember that ...every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is (I Cor 3:13).

I John 1:8-10—If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.
NIrV—Suppose we claim we are without sin. Then we are fooling ourselves. The truth is not in us. -But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure. -If we say we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar. His Word has no place in our lives.

II Corinthians 4:6—For God, Who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. NIrV—God said, “Let Light shine out of darkness.” (Genesis 1:3) He made His Light shine in our hearts. It shows us the Light of God’s glory in the face of Christ.

LORD, I present myself before You. Please search me and try me. Let no hidden thing remain in me that is offensive to You or to Your Kingdom. As I wait before You today, let Your Spirit shine in me and reveal anyway in which I am wrong. Give me the grace to confess my sin. As You cleanse me, please make me a vessel useful for Your Kingdom.

The Presentation of Our Hearts before the Lord
—Psalm 139:23,24

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DAY 6—John tells us we have an Advocate with God,
Jesus Christ the Righteous.

In this part of John’s Epistle we learn of the wondrous provision God has opened to us to deal with our sins. It is certain that sin will meet its judgment. Every sin has in it the seed of its own judgment. But, in His Love and Mercy God has given us an Advocate. This is our Paraclete, the One Who comes along beside us—like a Divine Lawyer—to plead our case. As for dealing with our sin, our Paraclete takes upon Himself the penalty for our sin. In dying for us, He became ...the propitiation for our sins. Thus, all God’s wrath against our sin is appeased by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.

I John 2:1,2—My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
NIrV—My dear children, I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. But suppose someone does sin. Then we have One who speaks to the Father for us. He stands up for us. He is Jesus Christ, the Blameless One. He gave His life to pay for our sins. But He not only paid for our sins. He also paid for the sins of the whole world.

Colossians 1:16,17—For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by him all things consist.
NIrV—All things were created by him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can't be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. Everything was created by him and for him. Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together.

GRACIOUS LORD, I love You for bearing my sin in Your Own body on the cross. Oh, what love! What compassion! It amazes me that the very One who made the world, and all the universe, died for my sin. Please help me to keep on remembering this. May I despise the sin that tried to rule me. And DEAR LORD, please, open the hearts of these I hold before You. Let them come to know Your love for them.

Christ Jesus is the propitiation for our sins
.—Romans 3:25; I John 2:2; I John 4:10

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DAY 7—John tells us how we can know that we have been saved.

One of the most wondrous things that happened to me after I received the Lord Jesus as my Savior was gaining the assurance of my salvation. I would have supposed this might have been settled by my feelings. But I soon learned that my feelings were fickle. It was when I discovered the faithfulness and power of the Word of God that I gained assurance in salvation.

What Paul said in Romans 10:13 was the beginning Word that made it sure in my heart that I was saved. He said, For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. I knew I had called upon the Name of the Lord asking Him to save me. When I acknowledged that this Word in Romans is faithful and true, assurance of salvation became mine.

I John 2:3-5—And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the Love of God perfected (has come to completion): hereby know we that we are in Him.
NIrV—We know that we have come to know God if we obey His commands. Suppose someone says, “I know Him.” But suppose that person does not do what God commands. Then that person is a liar and is not telling the truth. But if anyone obeys God’s Word, then God’s Love is truly made complete in that person. Here is how we know we belong to Him.

FATHER, the assurance You have placed in my heart that I am Yours is the most wonderful thing I know. I thank You for this. Thank You for keeping me even when I was not all that I should have been as one of Your saved ones. Now, here are these who don’t seem to know they are saved. Please draw them on by Your Spirit. Cause them to know that Your grace is free and powerful. Let the joy of salvation come upon them.

A Review of Paul’s Wonderful Statement about
Our Salvation—Romans 3:23-26

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DAY 8—Once a person confesses that he is in Christ, he is obliged to live according to the pattern Jesus set for us.

A responsibility comes upon us when we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior. A few lines of poetry came to me when I was a new believer that impressed on me that I was to start living differently than I had lived before I opened my heart to the Lord. I would not work my soul to save, for that my Lord has done, but I would work like any slave for love of God’s dear Son.

This was not a Word from the Bible, but it did leave an impression on my young heart. It came through to me that my salvation had not come by any works I had done. It also made a strong impression on me that the motivation of my service unto the Lord would come because of my love for Him, not because of any necessity laid upon me to remain in His favor.

I John 2:6-8—He that saith he abideth in Him ought (is indebted, is obliged) himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the Word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness (of your own soul) is past, and the true Light now shineth.
NIrV—Those who claim to belong to Him must live just as Jesus did. Dear friends, I’m not writing you a new command. Instead, I’m writing one you have heard before. You have had it since the beginning. But I am writing what amounts to a new command. Its truth was shown in how Jesus lived. It is also shown in how you live. The darkness is passing away. The true Light is already shining.

DEAR LORD, the Light You have brought into my heart shines brighter than any light I’ve ever known. Thank You for setting me free from the darkness that once closed in on me. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing. But, when You came in, everything changed. Sometimes I’ve slipped. I thank You for not throwing me overboard when I did. You are so gracious and loving. Please draw me on till everything about my life is pleasing to You.

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DAY 9—The Measure of Our Devotion to the Lord

A good measurement as to how much we love the Lord can be seen in how much we love the people around us. Jesus made it quite clear that we serve Him by serving others. The same channel in which Love flows to others is the channel in which our Love flows to Him.

I John 2:9-11—He that saith he is in the Light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the Light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
NIrV—Suppose someone claims to be in the Light but hates his brother or sister. Then he is still in the darkness. Those who love their brothers and sisters are living in the Light. There is nothing in them to make them fall into sin. But those who hate a brother or sister are in the darkness. They walk around in the darkness. They don’t know where they are going. The darkness has made them blind.

Matthew 25:40— And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
NIrV—All things were created by him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can't be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. Everything was created by him and for him. Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together.

LORD, teach me to see You in those who are suffering. Teach me to hold the right regard for those who are of a lesser degree of cleanliness and manners than I think is right. Show me how much You love all the people that I have a tendency to look down upon. And, Lord, help me remember the prisoners as if chained with them.

John’s reasons for writing—I John 2:12-14

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DAY 10—Getting Our Freedom from the Strongholds of the World

There is a tendency among many Christians today to allow the world to keep a stronghold on them. Even if worldly ways are spreading through believers around us, this is no excuse for any one of us to follow in like suit. When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are renouncing the system of the world that rejected and killed Him. This is the reason John admonished us to stay free from the ways of the world.

I John 2:15-17—Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the Love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
NIrV—Do not love the world or anything in it. If you love the world, Love for the Father is not in you. Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful natures want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They brag about what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. It doesn’t come from the Father. The world and its evil longings are passing away. But those who do what God wants them to do live forever.

John 17:15—I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (the evil one).
NIrV—I do not pray that you will take them out of the world. I pray that you will keep them safe from the evil one.

FATHER, please help me be rightly related to the world. I don’t want to be isolated from the very ones for whom Your Son died. But, I want to walk among them as a true witness for Him. Please set me free from the things of the world that are trying to draw me away from You. Set me free from all the forces at work in the world that oppose Your Kingdom.

Taking Note How God Loved the Lord—John 3:16

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As the final hour approaches,anti-Christ activity will increase.
I John 2:18-24
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DAY 11— There is hope on the horizon for believers as the
final hour approaches.

The passage below brings us to “the final hour.” Its words give both insight and warning as to what will take place when the time of the anti-Christ draws near. Subtle deception, particularly about Jesus Christ, will become strong among Christians. The anointing of God’s Spirit, however, will set up a guard in us.

I John 2:18-20—Little children, it is the last time (it is a final hour): and as ye have heard that (the) anti-Christ shall come, even now are there many anti-Christs; whereby we know that it is the last time (it is a final hour). They (the anti-Christs) went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction (an anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things (I believe this means we will instinctively know, or recognize, all the anti-Christ spirits that have gone out from our midst. Because we know what they are, we will not follow them.).
Young’s Literal Translation—Little youths, it is the last hour; and even as ye heard that the antichrist doth come, even now antichrists have become many—whence we know that it is the last hour. Out of us they went forth, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but—that they might be manifested that they are not all of us. And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and have known all things...

FATHER, my understanding is very poor, especially with regard to what is taking place on the world scene right now. But—I praise You for sending Your Spirit to dwell within us. I believe He will guide us through this time. And—we claim Your protection through all this perilous time.

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DAY 12—The anti-Christ’s attacks on the truth will become more determined—and subtle.

The greatest tactic of the anti-Christ is aimed toward convincing believers that Jesus was not the Christ. Anti-Christ wants Christ’s Throne for himself. He wants to reign over the nations. He supposes he can gain this position even though it has been given by Covenant to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One Who came as the Seed of Woman, the Seed of David, the Seed of Abraham.

In successive promises by Covenant, He is sustained in His place of triumph as “the Serpent Crusher,” the Heir of David’s Throne and the Heir of the promise made to Abraham’s Seed. We enter into areas here that are beyond the ability of most to understand, but in it all we continue to know Him Who leads us from triumph to triumph in the train of His triumph.

I John 2:21-23—I have not written unto you because ye know not the Truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the Truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is anti-Christ, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
NIrV—I'm not writing to you because you don't know the truth but because you do know it. I'm writing to you because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? The person who says that Jesus is not the Christ. People who say that are the enemies of Christ. They say no to the Father and the Son. Those who say no to the Son don't belong to the Father. But anyone who says yes to the Son belongs to the Father also.

Romans 4:13—For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his Seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Take note in the next verse who Abraham’s Seed is.)
NIrV—Abraham and his family received a promise. God promised that Abraham would receive the world. It would not come to him because he obeyed the law. It would come because of his faith, which made him right with God.

Revelation 5:5—And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the Book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (The sealed destiny of mankind remains in Christ’s hands. He alone can open the Book of human destiny which we find sealed in Rev 5.)
NIrV—Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not cry! The Lion of the tribe of Judah has won the battle. He is the Root of David. He is able to break the seven seals and open the scroll."

FATHER, it is still beyond my ability to understand all the above. But I do, indeed, acknowledge Your Son, Jesus Christ, as my Savior and Lord. I acknowledge that He has crushed the head of the serpent, that He is the Seed of David and has the Covenant right to reign over the nations.

Victory and the Beast—Revelation 15:1-4

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DAY 13—There are three factors of hope to which we cling.
ONE is that we can live in close communion with the Lord Jesus.

Our greatest factor of hope is the Word which we ...have heard from the beginning. In this Word is the promise of eternal life that is ours in Christ Jesus. When we are holding on to what He has promised us, we are holding the everlasting hope that is ours in Him. We remember Paul’s word that says, Thanks be to God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ (II Cor 2:14). There will be those who try to seduce us away from this triumph and leave us with no hope. But if we hold, day by day, to the triumph that is ours in Christ, we can remain strong through the time of trouble that the tempter hopes to impose upon us.

I John 2:24-26—Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal Life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you (concerning them that lead you astray, that cause you to wander).
NIrV—Make sure that you don’t forget what you have heard from the beginning. Then you will remain joined to the Son and to the Father. That’s what God has promised us. We have eternal Life. I’m writing these things to warn you about those who are trying to lead you down the wrong path.

LORD, please put within my spirit that work of Your Spirit that will keep me close to You. It’s when I know Your strong embrace within my heart, and when I know Your presence, that the enemy has no chance of drawing me away from You.

Keeping ourselves in the Love of God—Jude 1:20-25

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DAY 14—A second factor of hope is that we learn to be taught by the Holy Spirit as to what is of the anti-Christ and what is divine Truth.

What John says in this passage seems to mean that we who have received the Holy Spirit’s anointing have no further need of other Teachers. This interpretation does not bear out with other Scripture, however. The risen Lord Jesus Christ has set Teachers in His Body to guide and instruct us. For our safety, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will teach us what is Truth and what is deception.

I John 2:27—But the anointing (of the Holy Spirit) which ye have received of Him abideth (remains) in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things (the same anointing that you received is teaching you concerning all of anti-Christ’s ways and actions), and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it (even as the anointing) hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him (you shall remain in Christ, rejecting the anti-Christ). NIrV—But you have received the Holy Spirit from God. He continues to live in you. So you don’t need anyone to teach you. God’s Spirit teaches you about everything. What He says is true. He doesn’t lie. Remain joined to Christ, just as you have been taught by the Spirit.

SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD, keep us safe through the spiritual storm of the latter days. Keep us close to our heavenly Father’s heart. Release within us the discernment needed to recognize the work of anti-Christ spirits. Please bring these I hold before You under right teaching. They have come under spiritual attack and they don’t have the anointing to really know what’s happening to them.

Anti-Christ is on the watch to have intelligence with
—take psychic control of—those who forsake the holy Covenant.
—Daniel 11:30

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DAY 15—The third factor of hope is that we can have a confidence that will save us from shame in the Day of Christ’s appearing.

Scripture teaches that Christ will come again in a Parousía that will stop all the affairs of the world as His Kingdom takes the dominion. Those who abide in Him can rejoice in that day. Those who have refused to submit to the authority of His Government personally will meet that day with fear and shame. But, if we who are believers have come to the place of abiding in Him, we need have no fear of being ashamed in that Day. Instead, we wait for it with a joyful hope.

I John 2:28,29—And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (parousía, His grand coming at the end of this age). [The preceding word when is from the Greek hótan which carries the meaning “whenever.” This could draw this passage to mean “whenever Christ appears...” His appearance might come at any time, unsuspected.] If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him. Those who demonstrate the divine nature can do so only if they have been born again.
NIrV—Dear children, remain joined to Christ. Then when he comes, we can be bold. We will not be ashamed to meet him when he comes. You know that God is right and always does what is right. And you know that everyone who does what is right has been born again because of what God has done.

II Peter 1:3,4—His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
NIrV—God's power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of that has come to us because we know the One who chose us. He chose us because of his own glory and goodness. He has also given us his very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in his nature. He also did it so you could escape from the evil in the world. That evil is caused by sinful longings.

PRECIOUS LORD, take my hand. Lead me—and these I hold before You—on into our place of security in Your bosom. Oh, let us not be misled by the religious spirits that are moving in upon Your Body! Keep our fellowship pure. Keep us safe from the attacks of the enemy that are coming at us in ways we have never known before. Let us not partake of anything that will make us ashamed to stand before You.

Paul’s first Thessalonian Epistle teaches much about Christ’s Parousía.
—I Thessalonians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23

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Amazement at the Love God
Bestowed on Us to Set Us Free from Sin.
I John 3:1-24

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DAY 16—What kind of love God has given us?

Volumes might be written on the three verses we take for today. Some Gospel song writer—believed by some to have used the walls of his prison cell as a place to write—has summed them up well: Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the sky of parchment made; were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; to write the Love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

I John 3:1-3—Behold (idéte, an exclamation, “Look! See!”), what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us (has given to us), that we should be called *the sons (tekńa, children, those born into the family) of God: therefore the world (ho kósmos, the secular order) knoweth us not, because it knew Him not (Being born into His family, the world doesn’t know us because it didn’t know Him). Beloved, now are we the sons (tekńa, children—There is no article before tekńa. The emphasis simply is that we are children born into the family) of God, and it doth not yet appear (and it has not yet been made manifest) what we shall be: but we know (oída, we know for a certainty) that, when He shall appear (that whenever it is that He might be made manifest), we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as (kathos’, just as) He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
NIrV—How great is the love the Father has given us so freely! Now we can be called children of God. And that's what we really are! The world doesn't know us because it didn't know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God. He still hasn't let us know what we will be. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is. He is pure. All who hope to be like him make themselves pure.

DEAR FATHER, I cannot begin to understand the kind of Love You show toward me. When I think of what kind of person I was when You saved me, it blows my mind to consider that You could ever have loved me. And when I think of how I’ve acted since You saved me, it is even more amazing that You still love me. Please settle me in Your Love. Make me a vessel through whom Your Love will flow on to others. Here now are some people I have not shown much love—and they really need to know Your Love. Help me be genuine in demonstrating Your Love to them and please let them begin seeing it in me!

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DAY 17—God has set us free from the necessity to commit sin.

The first Scripture to take my attention when I began studying the Greek New Testament was I John. I was a young believer. It was important to me to know how to deal with sin in my life. Even after I was saved, I knew the tendency to sin was still in me. I saw this passage in the King James Version and it disturbed me. It made me wonder if I was truly saved. But when I saw it in the Greek New Testament, hope came.

I John 3:4-8—Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law (Literally, whoever is making a practice of sinning is making a practice of being lawless.): for sin is the transgression of the Law. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not (Literally, whoever is abiding in Him does not continue sinning.): whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you (lead you astray): he that doeth (is doing) righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin (whoever is continuing in sin) is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (The word destroy is from the Greek lúo meaningthat He might undo the works of the devil.)
NIrV—Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact, breaking the law is sin. But you know that Christ came to take our sins away. And there is no sin in him. No one who remains joined to him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has seen him or known him. Dear children, don't let anyone lead you down the wrong path. Those who do what is right are holy, just as Christ is holy. 8 Those who do what is sinful belong to the devil. They are just like him. He has been sinning from the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the devil's work.

There are two words for sin. One, hamartía, means “missing the mark,” and is found in Romans 5:12,13. The other, anomía, means“lawlessness” and is found in II Thessalonians 2:7 and Titus 2:14. Both occur in the above passage from I John.

FATHER, this much is sure: I do not want to continue in sin. By Your grace I expect to overcome the lawless attitude that has worked in me for as long as I can remember. There is so much buried in me that is ugly and wrong that I would have no hope if it were not for Your grace. Oh, I thank You for what Jesus did to undo the works of the devil in me! Let His work continue till I’m completely cleansed from the ravages of the sin that once held me!

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DAY 18—When we’re born into God’s family,
His nature in us makes us want to quit sinning.

It becomes unnatural for a child of God to continue in sin. This is because a new nature—God’s nature—has entered us. If we do sin, we immediately feel unclean and wish that we had not done what was displeasing to the Lord. That is, unless we allow our heart to become calloused. This happens by doing something over and over again. The first time, we feel badly, but each time we do something wrong, we feel less and badly, till finally we lose all feeling. This is a very bad place to come.

I John 3:9,10—Whosoever is born of (ék) God doth not commit sin (does not go on sinning); for His seed remaineth in him (because God’s nature is living in him): and he cannot sin (and he loses his ability to continue in sin), because he is born of God (because God’s nature has been born in him). In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not (is not doing) righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not (is not loving) his brother.
NIrV—Those who are born again because of what God has done will not keep on sinning. God's very nature remains in them. They can't go on sinning. They have been born again because of what God has done. Here is how you can tell the difference between the children of God and the children of the devil. Those who don't do what is right do not belong to God. Those who don't love their brothers and sisters do not belong to him either.

I Peter 1:22,23—Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth (since your souls have been made pure by your obedience to the truth) through the Spirit unto unfeigned love (a genuine love) of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (all of this being effected by God’s Word which does not decay but is living and remaining forever).
NIrV—You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for your brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply, from the heart. You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts forever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can't die.

FATHER, it’s like You have brought me from the dead. Thank You for the power of Your Word. Thank You for Your Spirit that brought conviction to me and has shown me the way of true Life. Thank You for setting me free so I can love people, especially those that for a long time I could not love.

God’s divine power puts His divine nature in us.—I Peter 1:4,5

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DAY 19—Cain did not overcome sin because he
allowed jealousy to rule him.

What was in Cain by nature led to his becoming a murderer. His parents had become partakers of what the serpent offered them. This they passed on to their children. However, a Word from the Lord came to Cain offering him the way whereby he might overcome the sin encroaching upon him. God said to him: If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door (sin is crouching at your door like a tiger) And unto thee shall be his (its) desire, and thou shalt rule over him (it)—Genesis 4:7. The interpretation from the New International Reader’s Version is interesting, and is probably closer to what it should mean. Do what is right. Then you will be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It longs to have you. But you must rule over it.

I John 3:11-14—For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. (The seed of jealousy was in the nature of the wicked one and led to Cain’s downfall.) Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto Life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
NIrV—From the beginning we have heard that we should love one another. Don't be like Cain. He belonged to the evil one. He murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because the things Cain had done were wrong. But the things his brother had done were right. My brothers and sisters, don't be surprised if the world hates you. We know that we have left our old dead condition and entered into new life. We know it because we love one another. Those who do not are still living in their old condition.

DEAR LORD, I am looking to You to help me overcome the things that cause me to look down on, and despise, other people. Even if it’s people in the world who hate me, help me demonstrate Your love toward them. I know You died for them just as You died for me.

Our souls can be made pure by obedience to the Truth.

—I Peter 1:22,23

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DAY 20—The persuasion that convinces our hearts that we know God comes from how much we love others.

If we live our lives totally concerned for our own needs, never caring for the needs of others, we will have difficulty trying to convince ourselves that we belong to God. Without His Love at work in us, the ways of His Kingdom will be remote. We will have no sense of His presence. This is because God is Love. We cannot be related to Him and not love those whom He loves. Today we are giving ourselves over to the Love of God. We will let Him love us. Then, we will let His Love move through us as we make steps toward laying down our lives for others.

I John 3:16-19—Hereby perceive we the Love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the Truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
NIrV—We know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them. If he doesn't take pity on them, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, don't just talk about love. Put your love into action. Then it will truly be love. That's how we know that we hold to the truth. And that's how we put our hearts at rest, knowing that God is watching.

John 13:34,35—A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have Love one to another.
NIrV—"I give you a new command. Love one another. You must love one another, just as I have loved you. If you love one another, everyone will know you are my disciples."

I Thessalonians 4:9—But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
NIrV—We don't need to write to you about love among believers. God himself has taught you to love each other.

LORD, I need Your help. Please teach me more about the kind of Love that will come from You to me. And then, may that Love move on through me on to others. I really do need Your help in this. And I need for You to help me want to love others. I’ve been too much like Cain through most of my life.

What Gives Us Confidence toward God—I John 3:20,21

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DAY 21—How much we love others convinces our hearts that we know God.

How we love others is a factor that determines how our prayers will be answered. Loving others as God gave us commandment, removes us from centering on ourselves. Jesus has told us that when we love others, we are loving Him. We see this in Matthew 25:1-13, where we listen to Jesus teaching about the wise and the foolish virgins. He then taught about the man who went on a jour