July 6 – Love Proofing Faith

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” – 1 John 3:14 (NASB)

How is your love-life? No, not the way we normally use those words. This ‘love-life’ is more according to the teaching of the Apostle John and the words of Jesus Himself. It's the love we have in our life for one another. John calls us brethren because we are in the same family. We have God as our Father and by grace we have been saved and born again in Jesus Christ. It is most important that we understand the promises in our verse today. How do we know we have salvation? How do we know that death no longer has claim on us? We know because we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible says that we are saved by faith but that we must love people in order to finally be saved. That means our faith in God’s promises must be so real that it produces a love that proves the reality of the faith. Conversely the lack of love proves otherwise. The next verse says that hating our brother is equal to murder in consequence and proves the lack of eternal life. It is a serious matter – love, don’t hate our siblings in Christ. 

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December 19 – Abiding For Life

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” -  John 15:5  (ESV)

Let us consider first the last phrase in our verse today because it too is a promise.  Apart from abiding in Jesus, He promises that we can do nothing of eternal significance.  The fruit which Jesus speaks of are the good works we do in obedience to Him.  But to be able to do these good works we need to first be abiding in Him – it is of vital importance.  The word “abide” means to remain or stay around.  The “remaining” is evidence that our salvation has already happened.  Good works are evidence of our salvation, not the means of acquiring it.  Those who believe that they have "been good enough" to go to heaven but do not through faith, abide in Jesus Christ, are not able to produce good spiritual fruit. They are as a grapevine branch that is dead and dried out. Imagine these branches, not connected to the life of the vine making an effort to bear grapes – it cannot be done. It is impossible for a dead branch to bear grapes. By faith we believe and receive the promise that we do abide through that faith.  The promise is that by remaining in Jesus we will bear much spiritual fruit and God will be glorified.

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August 17 – Being Prepared

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17 – (ESV)

We have believed in  Jesus as our Savior and God has given us eternal life.  Our verse today reminds us that we are promised that we will live forever and that our mission, our purpose is to be doing the will of God.  All though our lives here on earth, what we do matters – each thing we do, say and think should be in the will of God.  God watches over us and has done so since the day we were born physically as one of His human creatures, and if we have believed we have also been born into His family, our second birth which is spiritual.  He knew when we heard the good news and He knew when each of us accepted His offer.  He has been working in each of our lives to make His will known to us.  He wants to help each of us to obey His will and live according to what He has taught us.  He is making us ready to live with Him forever.

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July 4 – Celebrate Perfect Love

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”  1 John 4:16 (ESV)

This is a good verse for an Independence Day.  Why? Because while independence for the United States nearly 250 years ago is a good thing to celebrate.  But independence from our God is NOT something we seek or celebrate.  Our verse reminds us of the promise that we do joyfully depend on God's love and that He abides, or dwells in us.  God is love, is a powerful promise and because He is love, and that love is for us.  This kind of love is different than the common emotional romantic love we are familiar with.  It is different than the friendship love we have for others.  It is different than the kind of love we see in families of parents to children and children to parents.  This is an unconditional love that sees beyond the outer surface and accepts the recipient for whom he/she is, regardless of their flaws, shortcomings or faults.  It is Godly, perfect, and given to us by God.   

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