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Peter & John — 1 John 4:14-21

15 Feb

1 John 4:14-21 [NASB]
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 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. 19 We love, because He first loved us.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.

Dear God, love, love, love. What does perfect love casting out fear look like? “Fear involves punishment.” “The one who fears is not perfected in love.”

Of course, the closest thing I can think of to “perfect love” from the human perspective is that of a parent and a child. I might get angry with a child. I might hate what they do. But I will ALWAYS love that child. There is something in my soul for them that keeps me coming back for more. I remember marveling at my daughter when she was on stage in different theater productions, and I also noticed how it didn’t matter what else was happening on that stage—my eyes followed her every move. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her and what she was doing. It didn’t matter if she had the smallest bit part off to the side, that is where my eyes went. Of all of the people, kids and adults on that stage, she was mine and I was completely interested in everything she did.

But I have not loved her perfectly. I have made many mistakes. There have been times when I punished too harshly and times when I didn’t discipline enough. There have been times when I gave her too much as a parent and then there were other times when I withheld too much. I took out anger on her that was meant for someone else, and I didn’t show her anger that I should have. I made many, many mistakes, and the fact that I completely love her as much as I can wasn’t perfect enough. That is frustrating to me. Why couldn’t I have been better? Why do I still do the wrong thing sometimes?

Then there are the other people around me you have called me to love perfectly. Not just my wife, but my family of origin and my in-laws. My coworkers. The clients of the place where I work. Friends and fellow church members. My community. My country. What does perfect love look like for all of them?

Father, I think a lot of it starts, even with my daughter and son and graduating up to everyone else I’ve mentioned here, with loving you, accepting your love and forgiveness, and then trying to see each person around me with your eyes. Help me to see beyond the veneer and to look deeper. Help me to be patient. I know it’s grammatically incorrect, but help me to love more perfectly.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 15, 2019 in 1 John, Peter and John

 

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Peter & John — 1 John 4:7-12

14 Feb

1 John 4:7-12 NIV
[7] Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. [10] This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. [11] Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Dear God, the first thing that comes to mind with these passages is the song that I learned around third grade in Sunday school, “Beloved, Let Us Love One Another.” I don’t know tons of scripture by heart, but I know this one thanks to a catchy little tune that goes with he words and the fact that the lyrics include the scripture reference. Good on those Sunday school teachers back in 1978 and 1979 that touched my life in this way and taught me this song.

But the big statement of this passage for me is in verse 10 when it talks about your love for us being the real definition of love. You seemingly have nothing to gain from what you/Jesus did to reconcile us to yourself except that you got to have relationship with us. THAT is love. You loved us so much that, even though we really had nothing of value to give you other than relationship, you did what you did. That’s how much you wanted relationship with us. That’s how much you love us.

So now I get to love you, I get to love my wife. I get to love my children even though the only thing they have to really offer in our relationship is the relationships themselves. That’s how much I love them—my motivation for sacrifice is simply relationship.

Father, help me to love everyone around me today in that way, and help me to accept that love from others in the best way. On this St. Valentine’s Day, help me to be about your love.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 14, 2019 in 1 John, Hymns and Songs, Peter and John

 

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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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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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