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Peter & John — 1 John 4:1-6

13 Feb

1 John 4:1-6 NIV
[1] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. [4] You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. [5] They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. [6] We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Dear God, I guess where my heart is this morning is that I have not spent much time the last couple of days meditating on things that are of you. I have spent a lot of time watching secular YouTube videos or TV shows. I’ve listened to secular podcasts. I just haven’t spent much time pursuing you throughout my day, and as I sit here this morning I can feel that.

To paraphrase verse four, greater are you who is in my that he that is in this world. I need to tap into that in this moment. I need to tap into that today–all day. I need to seek you first in my marriage, parenting, and family relationships. I need to seek you first in my work and what needs to be done there. I need your favor and blessing on the work I am doing, and I need to do it all in your wisdom and your love. If I don’t, my temptation is to try to do it out of my own wisdom and for my own glory. My pride and vanity start to get in the way. I start doing things for the wrong reason and in the wrong spirit. And then that spirit starts to rub off on the others around me.

Father, I come to you right now, first saying that I am sorry for not being more intentional about pursuing you the last few days, and second surrounding myself with your holiness, words and Spirit. Please forgive me. And now I want to spend the rest of this day being mindful of you and meditating on your word. Help me to do that.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 13, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 3:19-24

12 Feb

1 John 3:19-24 NIV
[19] This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: [20] If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. [21] Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God [22] and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. [23] And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. [24] The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Dear God, verse 23 reminds me of Jesus’ answer when we was asked what the greatest commandment is. He said that we should love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, soul, and strength and then we should love our neighbor as ourself. That sounds an awful lot like John saying here that we should believe in Jesus and love others.

It’s interesting to see what Peter and John took from their time with Jesus and brought into their ministries. For John, as I mentioned yesterday, it seems that he took his anger and self-righteous judgments of others and turned them into love and grace. There is still an obvious call to holiness, but it seems like, for him, holiness is first achieved by denying yourself and obeying your commands. And the first command is to love.

I’m sitting here and trying to go back and think about who I was 30-ish years ago and what some of the bigger areas were that you had to chisel off of me. I think the biggest was my insecurity and my neediness. Neediness is something against which I still fight. My need to be admired by others is still there, but it is still slowly diminishing. My neediness with my wife is much better than it was 20 years ago. I could go on and on with other things, but you get the idea. You have been working on my heart and soul for a long time now.

Father, help me to take my personal knowledge of you and use it to help others know you better. Love others through me. Help me to do what you command. Help me to do the work you have for me to do (both professionally and personally) and bless the fruit of that work as only you can. And do it for your glory and your glory alone.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 12, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 3:11-18

11 Feb

1 John 3:11-18 NIV
[11] For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. [12] Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. [13] Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. [14] We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. [15] Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. [16] This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. [17] If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? [18] Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Dear God, I am glad that I went through the Gospel passages that referred to John so that I could learn a little more about him before getting to this letter. It’s important to remember what kind of person he was when he first met Jesus. Basically, he was self-righteous and vindictive. He was the one wanting to call down fire on the Samaritans for not wanting Jesus to pass through their territory. I can’t remember them off of the top of my head, but I know there were other examples too. Jesus had to directly teach him grace, mercy, and empathy and help him purge the self-righteous anger he felt for others.

So that’s the guy now who is trying to teach the lesson he learned. I suppose when I’m all done with this series on Peter and John, one of the things I should do is take what Jesus had to teach them individually as disciples and examine how those lessons informed the message(s) that each of them felt they needed to communicate to others. It goes back to the saying, “Our suspicions of others are aroused by the knowledge of ourselves.” What you have taught us is what we have to teach.

So what have you taught me over the last 30+ years of being a discipling Christian? I’ll tell you, I’m a humbler parent than I used to be and I’m much less judgmental towards other parents. You’ve taught me the importance of faithful time in scripture. You’ve taught me that the people I’m most tempted to judge are probably the ones who are most in need of my love and forgiveness (and your love and forgiveness). You’ve taught me that life is about one moment at a time spent in pursuit of you, and to not look to the future with any sense that I know what I’m talking about.

Father, those are just a few of the things you’ve taught me for which I’m grateful. And not that I’ve completely learned these lessons. I don’t mean to say that. Certainly I still judge others, fail to pursue you moment to moment, and I don’t always spend faithful time in scripture. But you have given me that message, and my prayer now is that you will help me to know how to live that message today.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 11, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John

 

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The Lord Feeds His People — Exodus 16:13-17, 31-35

10 Feb


This picture is from the book Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-ups by Ned Bustard. The piece of art is done by Steve Prince.

Exodus 16:13-17,31-35 NIV
[13] That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. [14] When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. [15] When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. [16] This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ” [17] The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. [31] The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. [32] Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’ ” [33] So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.” [34] As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. [35] The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

Dear God, I’ve heard and read this story since I was a kid, but I’ve always just heard it through my own ears. The great thing about an artist’s interpretation is that I get to see that same story through someone else’s eyes. So as I look at this picture, it is interesting to see what the artist has chosen to show me.

Before I get into the image, here is what is written in the caption to the bottom left of the image.

Manna was a mysterious thing provided completely by God for the good of his people. The Israelites were not to hoard it, for it would come to them new each day. This print is from a series that looks at the Old Testament through the lens of a love story. Or as the artist writes, “true love is like an Old Testament made New each day.” Here a couple shares some Myrr tea, while locked together in their marriage vows. The premise of this piece is: If God supplied for the Israelites as they wandered about for forty years, then what will God do for a couple that commits to one another, bound through the convenient of marriage?” God proved faithful to the Israelites in their wilderness, providing for their needs and therefore He will supply this couple’s needs as they wander through relational deserts as well as through lands flowing with milk and honey.

See what I mean? I had never thought about tying the Israelites wandering in the wilderness to the journey of marriage.

Given that as our cypher to decrypt the artist’s message, let’s see what I can see he did for us:

  • The people look African or maybe even Aboriginal from Australia. If African, I suppose this makes sense since the Israelites had just come from Egypt, which was in Africa.
  • The woman’s leg and feet seem to dominate the picture. Both of their legs are drawn to kind of reveal the bone underneath, suggesting to me that they are thin and malnourished.
  • Of the four feet in the picture, only one has a sandal. The other three are bare.
  • They look tired.
  • There are three signs of tenderness being expressed from the man to the woman. 1.) His right foot is resting gently on her left foot. 2.) He is looking at her while she looks off. And 3.) his left hand is touching her face. I wonder how hard it was for the men at the time to feel like they weren’t capable of providing for their families. Was it humiliating to have to collect manna every day? Was it frustrating to see their wife’s fear and be limited in their ability to assuage it? I suppose there are certainly times in my marriage when I feel unable to give my wife what she needs.
  • She has on a dress and he is wearing a shirt with a collar and pants. These are not Israelites.
  • What I’m really curious about this that keyhole on the wall over her left shoulder. What is that about?

Interestingly, today is World Marriage Day for the Catholic Church. As part of that celebration and emphasis this morning, my wife and I were invited to get up and talk about a couples group we joined through our church over five years ago. Part of my sharing was that that group came along at a time when my wife and I were walking through the darkest, most confusing valley of our 26 years of marriage (back then it was 21 years). We couldn’t tell up from down at that point, and it was good for us to get into intentional community with six other couples, all of whom were at different stages in their lives. Some were younger than us and just starting to have children, some were our age or close to our age, and some were older and experiencing multiple grandchildren.

Father, as I look at this image and I think about my marriage and the manna you have provided to my wife and me over the years, my prayer is that I will know how to show her the tenderness that you need her to have from me, but also that you will meet those needs of hers that I simply cannot meet. It was almost 20 years ago that I finally started to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t (and shouldn’t) be everything she needs. If I was, and if she was that for me, why would we need you? No, you have put me here to nurture and love her with your love and affection. But I am also here to support the path she is walking in pursuing you. That’s one of the reasons I attend Catholic Church with her even though I am not Catholic. So guide me today. Give us this day our daily bread.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 10, 2019 in Exodus, Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

 

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She Used To Be Mine – Sara Bareilles

09 Feb

Jessie
“She Used To Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles

It’s not simple to say
That most days I don’t recognize me
That these shoes and this apron
That place and its patrons
Have taken more than I gave them
It’s not easy to know
I’m not anything like I used be, although it’s true
I was never attention’s sweet center
I still remember that girl

She’s imperfect, but she tries
She is good, but she lies
She is hard on herself
She is broken and won’t ask for help
She is messy, but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time
She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
She is gone, but she used to be mine

It’s not what I asked for
Sometimes life just slips in through a back door
And carves out a person and makes you believe it’s all true
And now I’ve got you
And you’re not what I asked for
If I’m honest, I know I would give it all back
For a chance to start over and rewrite an ending or two
For the girl that I knew

Who’ll be reckless, just enough
Who’ll get hurt, but who learns how to toughen up
When she’s bruised and gets used by a man who can’t love
And then she’ll get stuck
And be scared of the life that’s inside her
Growing stronger each day ’til it finally reminds her
To fight just a little, to bring back the fire in her eyes
That’s been gone, but used to be mine
Used to be mine

She is messy, but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time
She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
She is gone, but she used to be mine

Dear God, it’s been almost 12 years since I first saw the movie Waitress.

Waitress Moviei Poster

As I recall, my wife and I were on a date day where I took a day off and we went to a movie. I don’t think I knew much about the movie before I went to see it, but it turned out to be much more sobering than I expected it to be. The surprising foundational topic is that, ultimately, it’s about domestic violence and a woman who is emotionally and physically abused by her husband and how she ultimately deals with it. I’m not sure I agree with the line in the poster above that it is “This Year’s Most Delicious Romantic Comedy.” It was a surprisingly charming movie given the weightiness of the topic, but I have never thought of it as a comedy.

Fast ten years, and my wife and I were able to see the Broadway musical version that Sara Bareilles wrote.

Waitress Musical Poster

I am a huge Sara Bareilles fan so I was instantly interested, but I was also curious to see how she would turn this movie into a musical. Frankly, there were parts of the musical I liked more than others, but the quintessential anthem of the program was this song, “She Used To Be Mine.”

But before I get into the song, I’m struck by a difference between the tag line on the musical poster vs. the movie poster: “It only takes a taste.” At first, you would think it is referencing the pies that the character makes. But there’s a lot of hidden meaning there. For the main character, Jenna, she has become so beaten down, afraid, and seemingly trapped that she has completely lost her sense of what life used to be, but a couple of things happen throughout the movie and musical to give her a taste of what she use to have and what life can be if she will set her face to the wind and escape.

That brings me to the lyrics. This song is heartrending. I want to look at it one stanza at a time:

It’s not simple to say
That most days I don’t recognize me
That these shoes and this apron
That place and its patrons
Have taken more than I gave them

My wife taught me about poetry’s efficiency of language. One word or phrase can communicate more than thousands of words. That last line about the pie shop and its customers taking more than she intended to give communicates so much about how all of our lives can just slip away if we let them. I’ve been sitting here trying to put my understanding of this into words and I can’t articulate it. The poetry communicates beyond my linguistic ability.

It’s not easy to know
I’m not anything like I used be, although it’s true
I was never attention’s sweet center
I still remember that girl

I love how Ms. Bareilles uses the phrase, “I was never attention’s sweet center.” Lovely imagery there. But the singer is disappointed, hurt, angry…it’s hard to know which word to put with the idea that “it’s not easy to know I’m not anything like I used to be.” I just know we are getting this image of a woman who has been completely broken down and isn’t even starting over at zero. She is behind bars and trapped. In this case, she will ultimately have the ability to get out, but so many don’t.

She’s imperfect, but she tries
She is good, but she lies
She is hard on herself
She is broken and won’t ask for help
She is messy, but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time
She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
She is gone, but she used to be mine

The thought that comes to me as I read this reminds me of my prayer yesterday about 1 John 3. We are all a paradox. Where there is freedom at coming to peace with ourselves is through the acceptance of this paradox, learning to see ourselves through your eyes thanks to the redemptive blood and resurrection of Jesus, and then pressing on further into you.

It’s not what I asked for
Sometimes life just slips in through a back door
And carves out a person and makes you believe it’s all true
And now I’ve got you
And you’re not what I asked for
If I’m honest, I know I would give it all back
For a chance to start over and rewrite an ending or two
For the girl that I knew

This is the part of the song that starts to become story-specific. The combination of her life choices and the crimes committed against her have lead her to where she is. The “now I’ve got you” can refer to both the unwanted pregnancy she is carrying (the baby will only tie her down, keep her trapped in her marriage, and make it harder to leave) and to herself and the person she is that she doesn’t like. She wants to just go back and start over and use the wisdom she has now to make different choices earlier.

This part is probably the most powerful part of the song. I’ve known a lot of people who made choices in middle school and high school, or even college or later, that were foolish. Part of it was through damage that was done to them as they were growing up, but now they are on a path that seems irreversible.

Who’ll be reckless, just enough
Who’ll get hurt, but who learns how to toughen up
When she’s bruised and gets used by a man who can’t love
And then she’ll get stuck
And be scared of the life that’s inside her
Growing stronger each day ’til it finally reminds her
To fight just a little, to bring back the fire in her eyes
That’s been gone, but used to be mine
Used to be mine

The interesting thing about this story (both movie and musical) is how the pregnancy emboldens her and helps her to find her strength. The maternal instinct ignites her “to fight just a little” and “bring[s] back the fire in her eyes.”

I guess I’ll close with this thought. Underage sex trafficking has been hitting my radar a lot lately through different stories I’ve been reading. It’s a bigger problem than anyone realizes, with a study by the University of Texas published two years ago estimating that there are 79,000 underage victims actively being trafficked in Texas alone. I talked to a friend about this yesterday as I asked him about some ideas I have to address the issue in our community. I think of these young girls and boys being victimized. I think of them being trapped and sold. This song is for them too. This is an evil that must be stopped.

Father, I want to end this prayer by pleading for victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and all other forms of desperate slavery. Please move powerfully. Move through the church. Move through your people. Move through me. Show me what you want me to do and foil the plans of Satan and all those who promote this evil. Bring them into repentance and bring your healing to their victims as well as to them. This prayer feels inadequate, but you know my heart. Holy Spirit, please pray for this and help to make these prayers what they need to be.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 9, 2019 in Hymns and Songs, Musings and Stories

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 3:7-10

08 Feb

1 John 3:7-10 NIV
[7] Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. [8] The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. [9] No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. [10] This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

Dear God, I must be misinterpreting what John meant in verses 9 and 10 because I see plenty of Christians continuing to sin, including me. Part of my story is that I kept getting frustrated by my sin as a child. I went to a Baptist Church at the time and from the ages of 9 to 17, I probably walked the aisle and got “saved” close to 30 times when you add up Fellowship of Christian Athletes conferences, church revivals, and just church services. I would hear the speaker talk about a transformed life, I would figure I must not have done it right the previous times and I would “give my life to Jesus” again.

Then I went to a conference that taught me how to be a disciple. Somehow, I figured out that this life on earth wasn’t about being sin-free. It was about the journey with you. It was about my mistakes and failures coupled with your love and redemption. It was about my growth and learning more and more about how you see the world as opposed to how I had seen the world up until then (and that process is ongoing). It was more about how you saw me and my life than how I saw me. My life became smaller and smaller in my own eyes, and I mean that in a good way. There is a great freedom in just being a piece of your plan and not needing to achieve through performance or sinlessness.

Father, I don’t mean to contradict John here because I do think being sinless is a goal. But it needs to be considered along with the realization that we are all on a continuum of growth and there is mercy from you for our failings. Maybe the difference between my first eight years of faith and the next 31 years is that after I was 17 I started to see how you see me in a new way and I came to have the same peace with myself over my sinful nature that you have with me through Jesus’ blood and redemption. Help me to live in that victory and peace even more today.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 8, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 3:1-6

07 Feb

1 John 3:1-6 NIV
[1] See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [2] Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. [3] All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. [4] Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. [5] But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. [6] No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear God, going back to verse one, is it good that we would be so into you that people wouldn’t recognize who we are? Is there a line between pursuing you and being righteous and being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good (I stole that last part from someone I can’t remember from my childhood).

I read Fred Smith’s weekly blog post this morning and it happened to kind of coincide with this. It basically addresses insecurity and how sometimes our temptation is to use what we can to make ourselves feel equal to or better than others. It might be the independence that personal wealth provides that will make us feel untouchable. It might be knowing deep down that our hearts are still wretched so we don’t extend the mercy to others that you extended to us. I think that last one is the danger to verse one.

Of course, there is also the hubris and inexperienced zeal of youth. I think of young Christians and how on fire they can be and how judgmental of other Christians they can be. For example, I visited my grandparents when I was a young, newly discipling Christian. I was just shy of 20 and visiting them for my spring break. They took me to their weekly Bible study. I judged every person in that room as being lazy in their faith and not doing anything to outwardly reach out to others. Their faith felt completely dry to me. As I remember, I think I actually challenged my grandmother (maybe both of them) later. And maybe they needed to be challenged. But I’m sure I did it poorly. The experience of life has taken off some of my edges and added tact. The question is, are my edges gone completely? Do I have any remaining edge to pursue holiness myself and encourage it in others?

Father, help me to live a life dedicated to pursuing you and then flow through me into others around me. Make me salty and give the the courage you need me to have. Fred’s blog mentions Joseph (Jacob’s son) and his brothers. Joseph was foolish in how he handled his dreams. What give me hope for my life is that you had already factored Joseph’s foolishness into your plan and used it to accomplish your will. I pray that you will do the same for me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 2:12-14

06 Feb

1 John 2:12-14 (NLT)
12I am writing to you who are God’s children
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.
13I am writing to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.
14I have written to you who are God’s children
because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.

Dear God, it’s interesting that John cycles through “God’s children,” those who are “mature in faith,” and those who are “young in faith” twice. I guess I hadn’t really considered before that John doesn’t see any part of this letter as being for those who do not believe. That isn’t his audience.

When we become believers, there is still so much for us to learn. There is a learning curve that guides us in this process. We still don’t understand your nature and there is a lot of deprogramming that has to be done. We spent our lives learning an eye for an eye, but Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek. We grew up desiring justice for all, and we are called to forgive as we have been forgiven. We had society tell us to that we needed to achieve, and Jesus asked us to give all we have away.

I’ve been saved for 40 years this summer and a discipling Christian for almost 32 years, On a scale of 1-100, if I started at 1 I feel like I’ve maybe progressed to 30–maybe. There is still so much I have to learn about how to respond to your call, how to have faith in your provision, how to repent and sin no more, and how to extend forgiveness.

Father, progress is progress, I suppose. Thank you for taking me where I am. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your love. Thank you for being willing to guide me as far as I am capable of being led.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 6, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John, Uncategorized

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 2:3-11

05 Feb

1 John 2:3-11 NIV
[3] We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. [4] Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. [5] But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: [6] Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. [7] Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. [8] Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. [9] Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. [10] Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. [11] But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

Dear God, I think I am going to focus on the words in verse five that say, “…love for God is truly made complete in them.” It feels like this is John’s thesis. This is what he wants for his readers.

So we are all going to sin. We’ve done it in the past, and we will do it in the future. I’m sorry, and I wish I weren’t, but I am a sinful person who still judges, lusts, covets, and lives in fear of others. I still seek affirmation from others and have been known to sell out in order to get that affirmation. I am truly sorry for these things. I am sorry for the moments when I take my eyes off of you. I am sorry for looking elsewhere for my satisfaction. I can say that your love has not yet been made complete in me.

That self-flagellation being said, I think I can say that I feel like I am better today that I was a year ago, five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago and 30 years ago. How do I know? Verse six says, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” I am better at living as Jesus did than I used to be. I do judge, lust and covet less than I used to. I am bolder at allowing others to not praise me and not seeking their favor. I am better at pursuing you in prayer. So I am not living up to verse five yet, but on a scale of 1-10, I might be at about a 5 right now. But 4, 3, and 2 are just a moment away if I stake my eyes off of you. It’s a little like Peter walking on water with Jesus. He shot to a 10 and then sank (pun intended) back to a 4 in just one moment of taking his eyes off of Jesus.

Father, I want to start this day by looking at you, trusting you, and glorifying you by your reflection living through me. That starts in this moment. You are my God. I worship you. Thank you. Really, thank you for everything. I’m sorry for when I’ve failed.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John, Uncategorized

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 1:5-2:2

04 Feb

1 John 1:5-2:2 NIV
[5] This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. [8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
[1] My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. [2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Dear God, I think John’s message here is simply, stop trying to portray yourself as perfect, be humble about your sin, accept grace, and do your best to walk in holiness (the light).

I would probably be remiss if I didn’t mention a song that was performed by dc Talk called “In The Light.” Here are the lyrics:

“In The Light”

I keep trying to find a life
On my own, apart from You
I am the king of excuses
I’ve got one for every selfish thing I do
What’s going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I’m still a man in need of a Savior
I want to be in the Light
As You are in the Light
I want to shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light
The disease of self runs through my blood
It’s a cancer fatal to my soul
Every attempt on my behalf has failed
To bring this sickness under control
Tell me, what’s going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I’m still a man in need of a Savior
I want to be in the Light
As You are in the Light
I want to shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light
Honesty becomes me
[There’s nothing left to lose]
The secrets that did run me
[In Your presence are defused]
Pride has no position
[And riches have no worth]
The fame that once did cover me
[Has been sentenced to this Earth]
Has been sentenced to this Earth
Tell me, what’s going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I’m still a man in need of a Savior
I want to be in the Light
As You are in the Light
I want to shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light
I want to be in the Light
As You are in the Light
I want to shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light
Songwriters: John Paul Jones / Jimmy Page / Robert Plant

Father, I do want to be in the light. I want to be in your light. There are all kinds of Christian songs that mention being in your light. Help me to bring your light, or allow your light, into the darkest parts of my heart and live in your freedom, peace and joy. And help me to encourage others in this way too.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2019 in 1 John, Hymns and Songs, Peter and John

 

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