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Category Archives: 1 John

1 John 5:11-17

03 May

11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

16 If you see a fellow believer 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 All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death.

1 John 5:11-17

Dear God, am I weird that I don’t care about eternal life? If I were to find out that everything just ends when I die, I’d be okay with that. It’s kind of fun to think about what the next life in your direct presence will be like–what it will be like to see the unseen and worship you in a more legitimate way. But eternal life isn’t why I’m here this morning. It doesn’t consume my thoughts. Loving you today and worshipping you today is what I think about. I’m only 56 and healthy, so maybe my attitude would be different if I were 90 and in poor health. Or if my wife or children were in poor health and I was afraid of never seeing them again. As I sit here this morning, however, it’s just not something I care or think about.

Regarding those who do not have you, well, I hope the idea that every soul is eternal and cannot be killed is false. I hope the process of throwing into fire and away from you leads to a terminal death for their soul as well as their body. I don’t want indefinite suffering for anyone. And I know there is the theology of annihilationism, in which there is a second death of the soul that is separated from you. I honestly hope that’s true. In fairness, here’s a link I found arguing against annihilationism.

In the meantime, here I am, one man out of 7 billion on earth. I have a small life in a small town in a small corner of the planet. What I need today is you. I recognize that you are my God. I recognize Jesus as God, part of you, who came down and was incarnate of the Virgin Mary. For my sake and the sake of the world, Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures. He ascended into heaven and will return to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end. I also believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. I need all of you today. I need to worship you. I need to love you. I need your love in return. I need your acceptance as well as your forgiveness of my many sins. Sins that were done through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Pray for me, Holy Spirit, and teach me to love the Father, the Son, and you better. And teach me how to love others better, extending mercy and love to everyone I know.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 3, 2026 in 1 John

 

1 John 3:14-15

06 Apr

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

1 John 3:14-15

Dear God, the verse of the day for Bible Gateway was 1 John 3:16, talking about Jesus loving us and giving his life up for us, but this part about loving and hating on the part of humans and murder and eternal life really struck me this morning because of the hate I see in some people I know. In some politicians who are throwing out hate like it’s candy. Cursing others. Even mocking you. It’s unbelievable. It’s really unbelievable that I’m seeing this kind of rampant hate. It is just consuing them. What’s really interesting (in a sad way) is to watch it grow. It’s like a cancer. The hate is really growing in some hearts and completely taking over. I mean, for some, it’s been there all along, and they are just revealing more and more of it to the outside world. But wow.

So let’s turn this mirror back on me. How do I guard myself from this? How do I continue to find the narrow gate and walk this narrow path of love over hate? Is there anyone right now in my life towards whom I’m harboring “hate?” There are certainly some people I don’t like or about whom I think ill, but do I hate them? Is there a fine line? Is there a difference?

I do think there’s a difference. I think there are some people I shouldn’t trust and whose motives are suspect. I might even root for their plans to fail. But “hate.” Do I hate them? I don’t think I do.

Father, give me mercy where you want me to have mercy. Where I tend to be unmerciful. I want to walk through the narrow gate and then down the narrow path with you. I want to feel the mercy you give to me flow through me and into those around me. Live through me. Love through me. Let your kingdom come and your will be done in this world through my life and the lives of your people.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2026 in 1 John

 

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1 John 1:8-10

25 Mar

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

1 John 1:8-10

Dear God, I just realized I have a funeral to attend today and I haven’t prayed for the widower who lost his wife. I’m sure they were married over 60 years since she was 89. I also know she loved and he loves you. And they always seemed to love each other. He has to be in so much pain right now, and I’ve just kind of overlooked it. I’m sorry for that insensitivity. I’m even dressed for the funeral right now, but I’m just now thinking to pray for this man. For his comfort. For his peace. That your Holy Spirit will attend to him. Be glorious and somehow transcend his situation. Not that he won’t mourn. Of course he will. He needs to. But that he will simply be comforted in this loss. Help him to feel your love and the love of his family.

I’m always amazed at people who are better at intercessory prayer than I am. Not that they’re better at it than me. I mean, I’m lousy at it. But the people who are good at it amaze me. I have some life situations that are painful, and I have a couple of people who tell me they pray for those situations every day. Really? People have me and my concerns on a prayer list every day? That’s amazing!

I was talking with a man last night who is curious about you. He wants to know more. Another man and I talked to him about you. Explained a little. Gave him some information. We tried not to be threatening or condescending, but to simply open you up to him and offer you to him. I think he’s on a path to you now. I want to pray for him. Don’t let his heart be the path. Don’t let it be the rock. Don’t let it be the soil with thorns. Help the seeds you planted last night to find good soil, come into his life to transform him, and then transform the world through him. As it relates to this passage, help him to simply repent, accept your love and forgiveness, and then follow you. Show me and others around him how to help him do it.

Father, there’s so much I still have to learn. So much I still do so poorly. I am sorry. I repent before you too. I know I have sin. I am not calling you a liar. You know my sin, even better than I do. I offer you my repentance, my humility before you and others, and my sincere effort to give you all the glory in my life.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 25, 2026 in 1 John

 

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1 John 4:9-10

30 Nov

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

1 John 4:9-10

Dear God, I was reading something by Charles Stanley this morning on how this decision on your part to have Jesus come and do what he did was a turning point in our timed history. I think he’s right. I mean, it literally reset how the world counted years, after all. What you did in the incarnation is amazing. What you did through the incarnation is amazing. What you continue to do through the incarnation is amazing.

I’ve had a surprisingly hectic couple of days since I got back from vacation. One thing I’ve done is committed myself to doing the Advent thing with Parents of the Bible that I hadn’t really planned to do, but it made sense to do it. The number of journals and the days until Christmas just added up too well. But it is going to take a lot of focused time on my part. Help me to work that in with everything else I have going on this time of year (especially at work).

I also want to take a moment to pray for those I love during this Advent. My children. My nieces, nephews, and siblings. My parents. The boy I’m mentoring. My friends and coworkers. Those I don’t even know. I pray for all of them that you would be with us as we walk through this time of year. Let it be a time when we can all lay down our pride and fear and accept and give love from and to you, and then from and to each other. I pray for mercy. I pray for healing of souls as well as bodies. I pray that the world will go according to your plan.

Father, I am here because Jesus came 2,000 years ago. You entered the world and showed us your true nature. The Old Testament was a bit convoluted with a lot of weird commands and decisions you were having to make to try to protect your promise to us. But Jesus removed the veil and showed us how you think. How you love. How you correct. How you teach. How you see the laws you gave us. Help me to embrace all of this and live it out so that others might find healing in you as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 30, 2025 in 1 John

 

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1 John 3:1-3

01 Nov

3 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning, I thought of the Amy Grant song, “The Now and the Not Yet.”

No longer what we were before,
But not all that we will be.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our compromising,
When He appears,
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

We will be like Him,
For we shall see Him,
As He is.

No longer what we saw before,
But not all that we will see.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our disbelieving,
When He appears (holy, holy),
Our view will clear,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

But I’m caught in between
The now and the not yet;
Sometimes it seems like
Forever and ever,
That I’ve been reaching to be
All that I am,
But I’m only a few steps nearer,
Yet I’m nearer….

No longer what we were before,
But not all that we will be.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our disbelieving,
And He appears (holy, holy),
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

When He appears (holy, holy),
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

Source: LyricFind

I can tell I’m different than I used to be. I can tell I’m growing. But I also know what I’m “not.” And I am at least aware enough to know that there are parts that I’m “not” that I can’t tell that I’m “not.” It feels like a number that approaches zero without ever reaching zero. I’m closer, and it feels good to be closer. It feels great to be closer. But the closer I get the father away I sometimes feel because I get a clearer picture of the “not yet.”

Father, draw me one step closer to you today. I’m about to spend at least 12 hours with a good friend. Help us to sharpen each other and grow closer to you through our time together. Minister to him through me. And minister to me through him. And I have some people on my heart this weekend. Please be with them. Be in their hearts. Reveal yourself to them. Help them to choose the narrow gate. You know the specifics of what I’m vaguely saying here. Lead us, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, closer to the “not yet.”

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 1, 2025 in 1 John

 

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1 John 5:1-12

19 Aug

5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

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, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. 7 So we have these three witnesses[c]— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. 9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.

11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

1 John 5:1-12

Dear God, my wife and I were talking yesterday morning about how to reconcile the impetuous, sometimes selfish and vindictive John described in the gospels with the author of these later letters/books. I told her it was pretty easy in my mind: Age. The John in the gospels was young and he still didn’t really understand what Jesus was teaching them. I think he only began to understand it after the resurrection and ascension. He grew. He suffered. He lost (his brother was the first martyr). He lamented. He celebrated. He experienced life and had you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, to walk him through it all. It shaped him and he because an elder from whom we could learn.

So at this point he has lived a life and seen the difference in people when they come to really know Jesus. He has seen selfishness and self-pity lead to misery. He has also seen grace, mercy, worship, and service lead to life. He has seen the difference Jesus’s and the Holy Spirit’s presence makes in lives. In his own life. The verse of the day from Bible Gateway is actually verse 12. It sums up the argument made in the first 11 verses.

Father, the roots of my life need your living water. Help me to soak in your river this morning. I love you. I worship you. I thank you. You are my God, and I am very grateful for your love, your mercy, and the idea that you will use me however you will to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Help me to be the man you have for me to be.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 19, 2025 in 1 John

 

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1 John 5:13-15

02 May

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. 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.

1 John 5:13-15

Dear God, the key phrase here is “according to His will.” According to your will. That’s the trick. There are times when it just feels like my will is so much better. Don’t you see, what I want is good (for me) and therefore must be good for you and everyone else.

There is a great sorrow I carry every day. And most days, I can sit and pray–and really believe–not my will, but your will be done. Maybe this sorrow will lead to something great one day that I cannot see. Maybe this sorrow is bringing about some result that I am blind to. So I can be at peace in this sorrow, with you holding me.

But there are other days where I go to you and I simply, selfishly say, “This isn’t fair! I don’t deserve this. I did the best I could. Why do I have this pain?” All about me.

Father, the first thing I need to do when praying according to your will is to take any gains for me out of the equation because as soon as I have even the slightest ounce of selfishness the prayer is tarnished. Like yeast in the bread. The yeast of the Pharisees. So help all of my prayers to be about you, about others, and about your kingdom coming and your will being done, regardless of what it might cost me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 2, 2025 in 1 John

 

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1 John 4:17-19

22 Feb

And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.
1 John 4:17-19

Dear God, there are some people I love this much, but somehow I cannot convince them of it. Somehow, they think I’m sitting here, ready to judge them even though I’ve told them my only desire is to cheer them on. I just want the best for them. But it’s like their shame for things I don’t even know about is keeping them from me.

My first thought as I write this is to question whether or not I’ve truly loved them this way because the evidence suggests that they have not experienced that kind of love from me. But my next thought is that we are the same way with you. Going back to the Garden, Adam and Eve hid from you. Not because you loved them conditionally, which you didn’t, but because they were ashamed before you.

Of course, there are others that I do live imperfectly. In fact, I live everyone imperfectly. Even those I was mentioning earlier. But if perfect love expels all fear, then I pray that you will teach me to live perfectly and to accept your perfect love.

Father, I know I’ll never do anything perfectly this side of Heaven. I just want to get better tomorrow than I am today. I want to be better today than I was yesterday. Help me learn to accept your perfect love. And help those who are self-imposing conditional love from me to see that it is really unconditional. That I am a source of unconditional love for them. Take away their fear. Heal their wounds. Be their God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 22, 2025 in 1 John

 

1 John 4:7-12

19 Feb

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

1 John 4:7-12

Dear God, is your love really brought to full expression through me? I know it should be, but is it? When people see me, do they see you? Am I that tuned into you?

What does loving others look like? Well, what does it look like when you love me? For that, I guess it goes to the story of the Prodigal Son. When the younger son wants to leave, you let him walk away. When he returns you celebrate with no questions asked. When the older son experiences jealousy you console and comfort. In all of these cases, it’s not about you. It’s not about them hitting your standard for the standard’s sake. It is about you wanting what you know is best for them. You know that the younger son is better off when he is at home and not pursuing empty selfish desires. You know that the older son will be better off when he decides to love his brother and accept him.

So when I look to loving others, what I am doing is wanting the best for them regardless of what it might cost me. If it is my wife, I want to love and support her in the things I perceive you are putting into her life. Now, if it is something that I perceive will take her away from you I will say so, but if it seems to bless her then I want that for her no matter what it costs me. Father, help me be willing to pay that price. If my children decide to pursue a path that costs me everything then I want to love them and bless them to pursue that path. If I think it is unhealthy for them and I am asked I will share my thoughts, but if they don’t then I don’t want to get in the way of anything you have to teach them (or me) through the process. Frankly, I don’t know what is your best for them. All I have to offer them is my unconditional love. The same is true for my coworkers, friends, and even just acquaintances or those you put in my path and sphere of influence. Father, help me to see all of this with your eyes. Help me to love each soul I encounter as much as I care about the existence of my own soul.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2025 in 1 John

 

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1 John 4:20-21

14 Jan

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
1 John 4:20-21

Dear God, I think back to some of John’s actions in his earlier life lake when he wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans and compare it to who he is when he writes this letter, I get encouraged at the idea of how much I can grow in you. Honestly, John had a lot to learn in those three years he walked with Jesus. Then he had more to learn after the crucifixion and resurrection. But he started to figure it out. He continued to learn.

I hope I’m the same way. I hope I’m not the man I was 30, 20, 10, 5, or even 1 year ago. I hope I’m different now than I was yesterday. Than when I woke up this morning. And I hope I’m growing in the right way. I hope I’m better. I need you to grow me. Refine me. Mold me. Fill me.

Father, thank you for answering prayers over the last few days that I didn’t even have that much faith could be answered. Or would be answered. You were good to a lot of people. Now, I’m going back to work and into an environment where we run into a lot of people who need a lot. Help us to be part of your solution for them. Give us wisdom. Move mightily. And move in our lives as well. Do all of this so that we might live as you call us to love, and be loved by others as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2025 in 1 John

 
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