Thursday, June 16, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread 1 John 3

1 John 3: 1 - 24
1 See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don't know God, so they don't understand that we are his children. 2 Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure. 4 Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in him. 6 So if we continue to live in him, we won't sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who he is. 7 Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. 9 Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians F8 does not belong to God. 11 This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was right. 13 So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, F9 if the world hates you14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another Christian F10 is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. 16 We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. 17 But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help – how can God's love be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. 19 It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20 even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
~ Lena’s Comments~
No matter what our families look like to us here on earth, whether our families are whole or torn apart, whether they are a pretty picture or an abusive nasty picture, we can be assured that God is our Father. This is why he refers to us as children, because of who He is towards us and then who we are towards Him, or rather to show us how he sees us. Laying all perversions aside, we can trust in Him as a Father and believe in His great love. I think it is magnificent how He continually sets us up to taste of His love for us, no matter what we choose or how we act or where we’ve been or come from. He loves us more than any earthly relationship could ever display. When we get this, and this is something we must get to know in order to be led by His spirit and be His praise and make Him known. In order to properly grow and go on to perfection we must get to know Him and trust Him and love Him this way. This revelation will lead us far where our faith is concerned. It will lead us to become as he is, which is the goal of all creation, that is us who are made in His image and likeness, that they would display His image and likness.Starting with verse 3, there seems to be must to dispute in the carnal mind. We’ve been told our whole lives – by the world, who taught us. When the world teaches us, why do we swallow it and keep a hold of it? As Christians we’ve got to take the words of the world that are incorrect in comparison with the Word of God and silence them inside of our minds by knowing more and more of the truth. Vs 3 says they (who are children of God) keep themselves pure. Many Christians ask God to purify them, and He did, which is why we are pure. This is saying I keep myself pure. How do I do that? By my choices. By the desires in me that lead me to make these choices. This is why I said above, if we know Him as He is, if He is truly revealed to us as He is, the choice is quite simple. I choose to keep myself pure. What does that mean? It means I value my relationship with my Father high enough to not let things steal from it. I value the word of God high enough that I refuse to listen to lies against it. I value God’s family enough that I play an active part in it and consider myself in relationship to and with His people as I would my relationship with God my Father. When we first hear words from the Word of God, and they are new and different to us. They are different than the words we’ve heard all of our lives in the world, we consider the words of God as laws to us. Most of human nature does not like law, unless we are the ones setting up the laws, then we love it. So, God sets up the law and my flesh nature does not like it, but my "Being changed into God’s image" nature, the new nature I’ve put on when accepting Christ, says- obey, Just do it, listen and practice what you hear. If I truly know and trust and love God and the messengers he’s brought my way (people who are also in His family), I will at least move myself by my choices to obey. If I do not, I now am acting as the world acts and am a participator of their kind, living in my own right, participating in rebellion against God, which is where I was before I "got saved". This is called sin. BUT right here it clearly says that God made provision for my sin, not once, but over and over again, if I am willing to come to realization and come towards change, He will forgive me and bring me to purity again. That’s the love of God. This was one lesson learned that has brought me towards perfection. If I continually sin in this manner, especially over the same instance, knowing full well what I’m doing and allowing rebellion to rule me rather than the word of God, do I truly know Him? I must need to draw in closer and personalize my relationship with Him further, because if I know His and His nature, I would not be able to do that.
There is a statement here in vs 10 that is hard for some. If we do not love those who are also called Children of God, we do not love God. "But God, people are hard to love, especially Christians, they judge us, tell us what to do, and how to live, hurt us, are hypocritical, etc. I love God, but I cannot stand His church." This is not true at all. Think of how God loves us, we were/are dirty rotten at times and definitely before we knew Him, we judge (the church and other Christians) and He still leads us towards Him and shows His love so faithfully to us. Are we exclusive? No, not at all. To say we cannot stand the church, is to say we cannot stand His own Body, which is who He is, that’s BIG. The greatest commands Jesus emphasized have to do with loving God, but in loving God, we also love who’s are His and belong to Him, yes the mother-in laws too. :-) . I was mild when I expressed what people say about the Lord’s Body. The word so often used (by our enemy- who plots us against God’s nature) is hatred for the church. When we hate His Body, we of course separate ourselves from His Body (this is truth, don’t allow your mind to minimize this) and in doing that we separate ourselves from Him. We cannot truly serve God and not be an active part of of His Body, the church. Murder is removal of by force, a cutting off of life. This is what hatred does, cuts us off from life and it’s source. If we have hatred of the church and separate ourselves from it’s people, its activities, then we kill off our faith, we cannot have active living faith apart from all God is. It is impossible. People say they can serve God at home, them and the Lord- NOT true. It is a lie from the nature of God’s enemy, who desires to kill off our faith walk and stop any progress we make on our spiritual journey. YES, love hurts, haven’t you ever hurt someone you love? You do when you separate from them. Relationship is in for the long run, it is based on covenant, not performance. If I don’t perform as you deem, you still love me, you help me, you communicate with me, you’re willing to give your life for me, and I for you. We behave this way because we know Him and this is how He is and are willing to demonstrate who He is to one another. It says here in vs 14, that if we do this we are alive, if we don’t we are walking in death. It seems backwards (and is to our carnal natured minds), but living id giving up our own lives for others). That is summed up by stating – "It’s not about me". If it’s always all about me, I’m living in death, death is upon me, rather than life growing in me. When we are willing. In vs 19 it actually says we will stand before the Lord for how we deal or refuse to deal with the church. We have got to choose to be participators in a regular relationship with the church. This does mean regular fellowship. There are well meaning Christians that will tell us we don’t need this, maybe you don’t, but remember it is not about you only. It is not only about how much you are fed, or need to be fed or whatever. It is about keeping up a relationship with Christ’s Body. No I don’t HAVE to be at the church every time "the doors are opened", but the more I do, the better the relationship and the more opportunity for growth in that relationship I’ll have and contribute. When I pick and choose and rationalize, I’m showing my carnal nature, my rebellion and resistance to my new nature in Christ. It’s not about Christ, it’s about me. OK, so right now, you might feel angry reading this (I apologize for any offense, but I love you and want you to grow in truth) just as I pray you love me and desire me to grow in truth. So we hear truth and we feel – condemned. Why? Simply because we’ve been off a bit. When we get back on we’ll not feel that. It is a gage to show us it is time for an adjustment. Many times what we call condemnation is actually conviction of God’s spirit to lead us towards change. If we’ve been led towards change over and over again and have resisted it, then we feel condemned, so change and that will change. Why are our prayers answered (or not)? When we live in obedience we live in the blessings of even answered prayers. Disobedience to God and the wisdom of His words, is a #1 hindrance to answered prayers.