Prophet, Priest, and King (Rev. 1:5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/20/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Prophet, Priest, & King

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Rev 1:5

 

            Message of the verse:  5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— (NAS95) 5  and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, firstborn of the dead, and ruler of kings upon earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins through his own blood, (Philips)

            In this verse John is describing the Lord Jesus Christ, as he goes on with his description of the Triune God.  Jesus Christ has three offices and they are all described in this verse.  He is a faithful witness, (Prophet), and He is the firstborn of the dead, (Priest), and He is the ruler of the kings of the earth, (King).  This phrase firstborn of the dead does not mean that Jesus Christ was the first person raised from the dead, but it means that He is the highest of those raised from the dead.  All others who were raised from the dead did die again, so in that respect of never dying again Jesus is the firstborn of the dead.

            John goes on in this verse to speak of Christ’s love and because of that great love for us he came to earth and suffered and died for our sins, He shed His blood that so that we can be set free form our sins.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I see in this verse the fact that as a believer I am in Christ, as I died with Him when He died and because He is the firstborn of the dead, I too have been raised up with Him and am seated in the heavenlies with Him, as seen in Ephesians. 

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord with the outcome of Kim’s pregnancy and to continue to trust Him with the financial problems that we are facing from our investments, and also from our job situation.  Also trust the Lord that He will work out the contract extension with Valero. 

Greetings from the Trinity (Rev. 1:4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/19/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Greetings from the Trinity

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Rev. 1:4

 

            Message of the verse:  4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.  (KJV)  4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; (NLT)

            John gives the dedication of the letter in verses 4-6 and in that he mentions the Trinity as to whom this letter is from.  He begins in what seems to be a standard way Biblical authors wrote letters in those days by telling who he is writing to, which are the seven churches in Asia, and then adds Grace and peace, which come from the Triune God.  God has given the believer what they do not deserve, or can never earn, and that is grace.  He has also given the believer peace through the blood of the cross of Jesus Christ.  God the Father is described as He which is, and which was, and which is to come, and after first reading this it seemed to me that John was writing about the Lord Jesus Christ, but He is described in verses 5-6.  John describes the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the remaining words of this verse, and it must mean His fullness because there is only One Holy Spirit.  Dr. Wiersbe points out that John may have been referring to Isaiah 11:2 in his description of the Holy Spirit.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Whenever the Scriptures reminds me of grace and peace it is a good thing, for without God’s grace, mercy and peace there is NO way that I could come before Him as my heavenly Father.  God’s grace still amazes me, and I hope it will never get old, or loose any of its wonderful meaning to me.

 

The Word of God was a refreshing reminder to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord for the results of Kim’s pregnancy, that He will give comfort and peace to all of us if it is His will for her and Tim not to have this baby, but take it home to be with Him.  

Reading God's Word (Rev. 1:3)

SPIRIUTAL DIARY FOR 01/18/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Reading God’s Word

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Rev. 1:3

 

            Message of the verse:  3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.  (NAS95)  3 God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.  (NLT)

            The word translated “read” means to read out loud, and thus this book was read out loud to each of the local churches.  The ones who read it and the ones who heard it were blessed, for they were all going through some kind of persecution, and this book would encourage and instruct them as they went through these difficulties.  For Paul wrote to Titus that  the great “hope” of the believer was the coming of the Lord for His Church, and this book goes into details of this.  John writes at the end of this verse that the time is near.  The word translated “near” is translated “close at hand,” in the KJV, and it means close in the original text.  I must admit that I do not full understand this choice of words, yet I do believe it was certainly inspired for use here. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  John writes of a special blessing for those who read and hear this letter, and that is consistent with other portions of Scripture, for the believer is to read and study the Word of God each and every day of his life, and by doing this he will be blessed of God.

 

The Word of God was both a challenge and a it was refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to read and study the Word of God and to think about it, to also trust the Lord with the circumstances of my life that I find myself in each and every day, for He is in control and makes no mistakes.

Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1-2)

SPIRITURAL DIARY FOR 01/17/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Jesus Christ

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 1:1 - 2

 

            Message of the verse:  1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  (NIV)  1 This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants.  2 John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw.  (NLT)

            The first thing that I see is that this letter contains the revelation of Jesus Christ, as seen by the first phrase in verse one.  Next I can see that God is the One who gave the Revelation to Jesus so that He in turn could give it to His own people through the apostle John. The reason for the letter is to show God’s people what must shortly take place.  The Lord Jesus Christ sent His angel to John to show and to tell him these things, and John is testifying to everything that he saw, and what he saw as he has written it down is the Word of God, and that Word of God is the testimony of Jesus Christ.  The theme of the Scripture is certainly Jesus Christ, and this letter is no different.  This is part of what the Greek word which is translated revelation means:  “2) a disclosure of truth, instruction   2a) concerning things before unknown.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I begin to study the last letter in the NT, I want to look at it in a different way than I have before.  When I looked at this letter before it was to see only the prophecy that it contained, and this letter does contain some amazing prophecies from God, yet it also contains some wonderful truths to live by, and shows the love of the Lord for His children.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  As I see mounting problems surrounding me in areas of my family, my job, and also with our little dog friend, Aruba, I know in my heart that God is in control of all of these things and will work them out for our good, and for His glory.

 

What the Real Life Is (1 John 5:20-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/13/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Living the Real Life

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1John 5:20-21

 

            Message of the verse:  20  And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.  21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.  (NAS95)  20 We know too that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding to know the One who is true. We know that our life is in the true One—in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the real God and this is eternal life.  21 But be on your guard, my dear children, against every false god!  (Philips)

            As John finishers his letter he again reminds his readers what is real, and in verse 21 he reminds his readers what is false.  Jesus Christ is real, and real means the original rather than a copy.  John explains that it is because of Jesus Christ’s coming to earth and doing what He did, causes those who believe to know the ONE TRUE GOD, and by knowing and worshiping HIM, the believer can experience the real life.  The worship of idols is living the false life, for idols are not real.  People can worship money, sex, or bow down to an idol, but this is not what is real, it is what is false.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is easier than one thinks to get caught up in the worship of idols, and so I need to have the Lord do a virus scan on my heart to make sure that I am not worshiping idols, of have any other sin in my life that has not been confessed to Him.

 

The Word of God has been challenging to my heart, and also convicting.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord, knowing that He is in control of the things that are on my heart, things like Kim’s pregnancy, our investment with Andrew, and also what is going on with the job here in Aruba, and the problems with the company I am working for at this time.

 

           

 

 

Believers Do Not Practice Sin (1 John 5:18-19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/13/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Believers, do not Practice Sin

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1John 5:18-19

 

            Message of the verse:  18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.  (NIV)  18 We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of sin—fatal sin. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can’t lay a hand on them.  19 We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One.  (Message)

            It seems that the key word that John is using is the word “practice,” because he has  written in an earlier chapter that if the believer says that he is without sin he is a liar.  All believers sin because of the enemies that they face; the world, the flesh, and the Devil. 

            God said of David that he was a man after God’s own heart, yet the OT records some of the sins that David committed.  After the sin with Bathsheba, and after Nathan came and talked to him about what he had done, and how it displeased God, David wrote Psalm 32, and Psalm 51, which show the grief that he had gone through because of his sin.  David did not continue to practice the sins of adultery and murder, for he confessed them to the Lord and he learned from these mistakes.  He also knew of God’s grace and  mercy.  This is an example of how a believer is to react when convicted by God of his sin, and the believer is not to continually practice sin, but learn and grow by applying God’s word to each situation for God will never allow us to be tempted beyond that which we are able to handle, (1Cor. 10:13).

            Unbelievers sin because that is the only nature that they have, and also because they are in the grip of the evil one, (verse 19).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God’s grace does not give me a license to sin, but because of God’s grace I can be forgiven my sins.  I know it is wrong to practice sin, and yet there are certain sins that are much more attractive to me and I have a harder time to stay away from them, however because these temptations cause me much conflict in my heart I know that God is continuing to work in my heart to give me the grace to stand.

 

The Word of God has given me a challenge as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Have confidence that God will get all of us through the trial of Kim’s pregnancy, as it is all so very upsetting to us.  Trust the Lord will give us all the grace we need to survive the trial.   

 

           

Sin Leads to Death (1 John 5:16-17)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/12/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Sin leads to Death

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1 John 5:16-17

 

            Message of the verse:  16 If you see a Christian brother or sister sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it.

17 Every wrong is sin, but not all sin leads to death.  (NLT)  16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.  17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.  (NAS95)

            Theses two verses are somewhat difficult to understand, but I will have a go at what I think John is writing about.  The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, and so all sin leads to death.  I think that the Bible teaches that all people are appointed once unto death, and that appointment with death can come early, but never late.  There are a number of references in the Bible to show that a believer, or at times an unbeliever have died prematurely because of their practice of sin.  The classic example is from Acts 5, and it speaks of Ananias and Sapphira dying because they were hypocrites, and also because they lied to the Holy Spirit. 

            When John writes that there is a sin that leads to death, it could very well mean that there is a habitual sin that leads to death, and if the believer does not respond to the discipline from God he will soon die.  Paul spoke of people from Corinth who died because they did not live right when taking the Lord’s Supper.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  What I get out of these two verses is that I am to keep short accounts with God.  John has written earlier that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Confession means to agree with God that sin is sin.

 

The Word of God has brought conviction to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Keep short accounts with God, and to grow in the love of the Father, and the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.   

God will Answer Our Prayers (1 John 5:14-15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-10-2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  God will answer our prayers

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 5:14-15

 

            Message of the verse:  14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.  (NAS95)  14 And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening.  15 And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.  (Message)

            In these two verses John is writing about prayer, and the confidence that the believer has to come to the Lord with his requests.  Confidence means that we have the “free speech” to come to the Lord with our requests, and our requests must be in His will, as verse fourteen said.  The next question is what is the will of God?  The Word of God is full of the will of God, and one thing for sure a believer must come to the Lord with a clean heart, for that is in the Word of God as being the will of God.  Praying in the will of God is asking for the desires of the believer’s heart, and if the believer is walking close to the Lord his desires will be that of what the Lord wants for him.  To determine the will of God for the believer he needs to look into the Word of God and search out for the promises of God, and also he needs to depend upon the Spirit of God to lead and to guide him, and he needs also to look at the circumstances around him to help determine the will of God for him. 

            God does not always reveal the answer to our prayers the instant we ask Him, and maybe because the timing is not correct so that it would actually harm us if He answered it right away.  4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. This is from Psalm 37: 4, 5.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life; Prayer is the life blood of the believer, and it is something that I should do far better than I do.  Praying with my wife last evening was the highlight of the day for me, and I need to make sure that we do it more.

 

The Word of God was both refreshing and convicting to my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Pray better, and pray with my wife more in 2005 than we ever have before in a year.

The Promise of Eternal Life (1 John 5:11-13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-09-2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  The promise of eternal life

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 5:11-13

 

            Message of the verse:  11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.  13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (NAS95)  11 This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son.  12 So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.  13 My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion.”

            1 John 5:13 has always been a verse that has comforted me, and given me confidence that I truly am on of God’s children.  As John comes to the close of this letter he gives the real reason as to why he has written it, and that reason is to assure God’s children that they truly are God’s children.  Satan can cause doubts for a believer in this area, but John wants all true believers to realize that their salvation is secure.  Verse 11 tells readers that eternal life is in the Lord Jesus Christ, and verse 12 said that the difference between having eternal life and not having it is whether or not we have the Son of God in one’s life.  John has shown in his gospel the way of salvation, and he also has shown in his gospel that once you have been given eternal life that it is forever, as the work eternal suggests.  He now shows this wonderful truth in his letter, and especially in verse 13.  I like the way the message has this verse, “My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that it is difficult for me to realize sometimes that eternal life is a gift from God and it certainly does not depend on me to keep it.  I cannot do anything to deserve eternal life, however I can do things in the power of God’s Spirit to demonstrate that I do have eternal life, and perhaps by doing those things others will see and then believe too.  Eternal life is a gift and God is the giver of this gift, and I will be eternally thankful for this truly amazing gift.

 

The Word of God was refreshment for my soul as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Life a life that is pleasing to my heavenly Father through the power of His Holy Spirit, and His Word. 

 

Jesus Paid it All (1 John 5:10)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/06/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Jesus Paid it All

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 John 5:10

 

            Message of the verse:  10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.  (NIV)  10 He who has faith in the Son of God has the witness in himself: he who has not faith in God makes him false, because he has not faith in the witness which God has given about his Son.  (BBE)

            The testimony that John is writing about is what he has written in the previous verses, or the wittiness he has been writing about in the previous verses, that of the water, the blood, and the Holy Spirit.  Would it be fair to call God narrow minded when it comes to salvation?  God has a plan for salvation and there is no deviation to this plan for anyone who will, or has been saved, yet the believer has nothing to brag about when it comes to salvation, for he had nothing to do with it, as he was chosen in eternity past, and Christ died to make it all possible, and the Spirit of God called him to this wonderful salvation.  So we see all of the Trinity working in the salvation of a soul, yet the person who has received this gracious gift has not worked for it otherwise it would not be a gift at all.  Those who have received this gift believe the testimony, or wittiness that John is writing about here, those who do not believe are making God out to be a liar because they have not believed in the only provision for salvation that is available to them.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I guess it is easy for me to think that I had something to do with my salvation, and easy for me to believe that I have some power on my own to walk with the Lord, yet Paul put this all into perspective when he wrote that if he had anything to brag about it would be the cross of Jesus Christ.  Jesus paid it all, and all to Him I owe, and when I brag about myself it is because of the sin of pride, and that is wrong.

 

The Word of God has given both joy and conviction to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To grow in love for God the Father, to grow in grace and the knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To trust the Lord with the financial aspects of my life. 

The Greatness of God's Testimony (1 John 5:9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/05/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  The Greatness of God’s Testimony

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 5:9

 

 

            Message of the verse:  9  If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son.  (Message)  9 We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

            John is reasoning here that if a person accepts what man has to say, which is the lesser, they surely should accept what God has to say, Who is the Greater.  John has just gone through the idea of wittiness in these preceding verses, wittiness that are surely greater than man’s testimony, so the logic is to accept what the God of this universe has spoken.

           

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I may not be getting out of this verse what the author had in mind, but this verse seems to be teaching me that I need to stay in the Word of God, that I need to study and dig so that when man speaks I will be able to discern whether or not what he is saying is true as I measure it against the Word of God.

            Another thing that this verse reminds me of is tounderstand the difference between the flesh, or old nature and the new spiritual nature that God has given me since He saved me.  Many times it is easy to know the difference, but there are other times when it is much more difficult, and the Word of God and His Spirit can guide me in His Truth.

 

The Word of God was instructive to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to completely trust the Lord, and that does not mean that I won’t pray about theses things, with Kim’s pregnancy, the tidal-wave results, the money problems we face, and job related issues, along with my health.

  

Three who Testify (1 John 5:7-8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-04-2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Three who Testify

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 5:7-8

 

            Message of the verse:  7 For there are three that testify:  8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.  (NAS95) 7 So we have these three witnesses— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree.  (NLT)

            As I look at the commentaries for verse seven there are some who would say that the verse does not appear in the original text and therefore should not be here.  Others say that it should be here, and others say it should be here in the way that the NAS has it written and not the AV, which reads:  “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”  As seen there is a large difference in the way each version translates this verse, as one speaks of three different wittiness than the other.  At any rate I am not going to solve this today, but I do believe that even though there are different wittiness in the different versions they all sure give wittiness to the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is truly God’s Son, and that He is God come in human flesh.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that it would be nice to know which of these translations is correct, yet these are the types of things that I do not want to get hung up on, because they do not alter my faith which ever way is correct.  They are not worth arguing about, for there are far more important things to do than that.

 

The Word of God has convicted me to take care of the bigger things in life and focus on the things that do not mean as much.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and lean not upon my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge Him, and He will surely direct my paths.  I want to grow in the love of the Father, in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God come in the Flesh (1 John 5:6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01-03-2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Jesus is God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 5:6

 

            Message of the verse:  6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit also gives us the testimony that this is true   (NLT) 6 This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  (NAS95) 

            The NLT gives a good interpretation of what John is writing about here.  John is saying that Jesus Christ is God who came in the flesh, and one of the reasons that He came in the flesh was so that He could die for the sins of mankind on the cross.  God the Father testified to this when Jesus was baptized, and this was where water was used, He also testified of this before Jesus died on the cross, and this was where He shed His blood.  The Holy Spirit was a part of this also and He to testifies of this Truth.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This fundamental truth of the Christian faith and that is that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, and without this truth there is no gospel at all.  Nothing else in the Word of God would matter if this were not true.

 

            The Word of God was instructive to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not upon my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct my path.

Faith and Love Grow Together (1 John 5:4-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 01/01/2005

 

My Worship Time:                                        Focus:  Faith & Love grow together

 

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 5:4-5

 

            Message of the verse:  4. For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory.  5. And the ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (NLT )  4. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

5.  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  (NAS95)

            John uses the word overcome a number of times in his writings, and he uses it here to describe a believer, for he said that anyone who is born of God has overcome the world.  Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” on different occasions in his writings, and that little phrase has a lot of meaning, for a person who has been born of God is in Christ, and this means that a believer has in position these spiritual things that Paul describes because they are in Christ.  Believers are buried with Christ, they have been crucified with Christ, and they have been raised up with Christ from the grace.  Believers are in heaven with Christ.  I know that that one is kind of hard to understand, but none the less it is true.  All of these truths can give the believer confidence in his daily walk with Christ, confidence that Christ has already won the victory and that they are apart of that victory. 

            John writes about our faith and faith and love grow together, for the more a believer trusts the Lord the more he finds out that the Lord is trustworthy, and the more trustworthy the believer finds Christ the more he grows in his love for Him.  The writer of the book of Hebrews described faith this way in Hebrews 11:1, (Phillips) “Now faith means that we have full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see.”  Of course faith has to have an object and to the believer the object is Jesus Christ. 

            John has been writing about love in this section of his letter, and how a believer should grow in his love for the Father, and knowing about the victory that he has in Christ is having confidence in Christ and it shows love for the Father being perfected.  Growing in love for the Father is not something that just happens without any effort, but it takes a concentrated effort to achieve this lofty goal.  Abraham is called a friend of God and friendship grows into love.  Abraham was not perfect, yet he knew that when he fell that he should confess his failures to God, and God would forgive him. 

            As the believer grows in his friendship with God through Bible reading, study, and meditation, and also fellowshipping with God’s people, he will begin to cultivate his love for the Father, and things will begin to change, not all at once but they will change gradual.

            This friendship, growing into love will be evidenced by obedience, and not just obedience out of fear, but out of love for the Father, because of a growing trust in Him.

             This process will continue, and the believer will be conformed to image of Jesus Christ, which is the goal of every believer, and will not happen completely until he is  face to face with Him in glory, none the less it is still the goal of the believer while on this earth. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I begin this new year not knowing what will take place, but knowing the One who does know what will take place, I would like to make it my goal to read the New Testament through three times, along with reading the book of Psalms through three times, and to finish up my verse by verse study of the New Testament.  Along with this I would like to grow in grace and in the knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, along with growing in my love for the Father.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  By God’s grace and mercies I whish to begin this New Year growing in His Love, grace, and knowledge.

 

 

Perfecting Love Produces Joyful Obedience (1 John 5:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Perfecting Love produces joyful obedience.

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1John 5:1-3

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.  2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.  3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. (NAS95)  “EVERYONE who really believes that Jesus is the Christ is himself one of God’s family. The man who loves the Father cannot help loving the Father’s sons.  2 The test of our love for God’s family lies in this question—do we love God himself and do we obey his commands?  3 For loving God means obeying his commands, and these commands of his are not burdensome.  (Phillips)

            Verse one is talking about how to know if someone is a true child of God, and that means that a person has to believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), is part of God’s family.  John goes on to talk about the theme he has been writing about, and that is love, for a person who confesses Jesus as the Christ must show that he is truly in the family of God by loving, loving God and loving God’s people.  He goes on in verse two to speak of another test of being in the family of God, and maturing in the love for the Father, and that is by loving the Word of God and obeying the Word of God joyfully.  In verse three he continues by saying that the love of God is keeping His commandments and then adds that His commandments are not burdensome.  As Dr. Wiersbe points out when writing about this verse that the person who wrote the 119^th Psalm had the correct attitude about this for in that Psalm the writer talks about loving God’s Laws and loving to keep them.  Paul wrote about giving and how it should be done joyfully, and living the Christian life should also be done joyfully.

 

            Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  Deep down in my heart I know that living the Christian life in obedience to God’s commandments will bring joy to my life, But one of the chief stumbling stones is the old nature and that old nature wants it’s own way and that way is always wrong.

 

The Word of God has been instructive and convicting to my heart today as I studied it.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust that the Lord will give me the desire and the where with all to continue to grow in His love, and to continue to joyfully obey His Commandments.

More about God's Love (1 John 4:20-21)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

 

My Worship Time:                                                    Focus:  More about God’s Love

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 4:20-21

 

            Message of the verse:  “20 If a man says, "I love God" and hates his brother, he is a liar. For if he does not love the brother before his eyes how can he love the one beyond his sight?  21 And in any case it is his explicit command that the one who loves God must love his brother too.”  (Phillips)  “20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.  21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”  (NAS95)

            As a believer grows in his love for the Lord then he will also grow in his love for other believers that God has brought into his life.  John makes this point very clear in verse 20 where he states that if a person cannot love his fellow Christian whom he can see how does one love God whom he cannot see.  John goes on in verse 21 to say that keeping the commandments of God are not to be a burden on believers, for this should be the thing that they would want to do, because they know that this is pleasing to the Lord. 

            There is a popular song out by Scott Kirplank entitled “No More Pretending,” which is exactly what John is writing about here in these two verses.  Pretending is something man has done since the fall in the garden, as it is a part of the old nature, but it should not be part of a believer who is maturing in the love of God.  John has already stated that believers all sin, but he also stated that believers are to confess to the Lord when they fail Him, and He will forgive their sin.  By confessing sin to the Lord believers are being honest with Him that we have sinned, and there is no hypocrisy in them as with the people written about in Acts Chapter 5.  Not only did Ananias and Sapphira sin by lying to the Holy Spirit, but they were also being hypocritical too.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This passage and the commentary that Dr. Wiersbe has written on it has really stepped on my toes, and has brought conviction to my heart.  As a person I have generally had a low self-esteem, and consequently have tried to put myself in the spotlight far to many times.  I do believe that as my love for the Lord begins to grow that I will not have such a low self-esteem, because I know the Lord knows that I am just dust and can make mistakes and sin, but because of His love, mercy and grace He will pick me up and put me on the right path again. God want me to succeed in the Christian life and has proven that by sending His Son to die in my place and take the judgment on the cross that should have been given to me.

 

The Word of God has brought much conviction to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to strive to grow in the love of the Lord, and to obey His commandments.  

Why We Love (1 John 4:19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Why We Love

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  1John 4:19

 

            Message of the Verse:  “19 Yes, we love because he first loved us.  (Phillips)  “19 We love each other as a result of his loving us first.  (NLT)

            Agapao is the Greek word that John uses here and is translated “love.”  The word is similar to the Greek word Agape, which is also translated love many times in the NT.  The KJV translates Agape as charity in 1Cor. 13, which is known as the love chapter.  One of the definitions of Agapao given in the Greek dictionary that is used by the Online Bible program said that Agapao was a word that John used in 1 John to show Christian love between believers.  It also said that this was the word which describes the love that God the Father has for Jesus Christ, His Son, so the word has a very strong meaning for how believers should love one another, which is what John is saying in verse 19.  The NLT puts it in a way that is clear to what John is trying to get across when it says, “We love each other as a result of his loving us first.”  Mankind is not capable of this kind of love in the state in which they are born because when a person is born he is born spiritually dead and therefore is not capable of having the kind of love that God loves.  Once the miracle of the new birth happens to someone then he can begin to learn about this kind of love from God, for His Word, and from other believers and as a result of this can begin to love other believers this way.  This is a process, and does not happen overnight and it is something that the believer has to work at by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, along with the help of mature believers to guide him in this process. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In order for me to love the brethren as I should, I need to continue to grow in the love that God loves me with so that I can love others in that same kind of way.  Love is not something that I can do on my own, but it is something that I can learn about and do.

 

The Word of God was again convicting to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  To continue to learn and grow in the love of God.

No Fear in Love (1 John 4:17-18)

Spiritual Diary

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  No fear in love

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1John 4:17-18

 

            Message of the verses:  “17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”  (NASB95)  “17 ¶  So our love for him grows more and more, filling us with complete confidence for the day when he shall judge all men—for we realize that our life in this world is actually his life lived in us.  18 Love contains no fear—indeed fully-developed love expels every particle of fear, for fear always contains some of the torture of feeling guilty. The man who lives in fear has not yet had his love perfected.”  (Phillips) 

            As I look at the beginning of verse  seventeen I cannot help but going back to what was in verse sixteen, and in that verse John used the word “abide” three times and then he starts out verse seventeen by saying “by this, love is perfected with us.”  I seems to me that love is perfected by us abiding in Christ and growing in the knowledge of His love for us.  What happens to a believer when he begins to abide in Christ’s love and understand it more and more?  That believer will begin to have more and more confidence in God, because he knows more and more about God, and especially His love for believers.  The believer will learn that he need not fear God is such a way that it would bring torment upon himself for John goes on to say that perfect love casts out fear because fear has to do with punishment or judgment.  Believers need to have a fear of God like a child has for a loving parent, not a prisoner has for the judge he must face, for the believer the judgment has already taken place at the cross for him. 

            As believer in Christ we need not fear the past, for Christ died for us, or the present, or the future, and that is because of the great love that Christ has for us. 

 

            Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  One of the things that has haunted me for most of my life is fear, and one of the things that God has been dealing with me on this working assignment in Aruba is to deal with this fear by having more confidence in the wonderful love that He has for me, and as a result of this I do believe that I am beginning to grow in His love.

 

The Word of God was convicting to me as I studied it this morning, and it was also refreshing to my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to grow in the grace and knowledge, and love of God.