Love One Another....Even The Evilest Of Hearts

1 John 2:7-8 - Dear brothers, I am not writing out a new rule for you to obey, for it is an old one you have always had, right from the start. You have heard it all before. Yet it is always new, and works for you just as it did for Christ; and as we obey this commandment, to love one another, the darkness in our lives disappears and the new light of life in Christ shines in.

John affectionately refers to his readers as his children. He writes to them to plead with them to remember that loving others is the one way we can know that Christ is in total control of our lives.  He knew that love was and is the strongest weapon we have against the darkness of satan.

The love that Christ plants in our hearts goes beyond the worlds standards.  It is based on self-sacrifice….and ultimately leads to servanthood.  Christ’s love reaches beyond our friendships and reaches enemies and persecutors.

John also touches on the one thing that lessens our ability to love more than anything else….the emotion of hate. Any amount of hate will keep Christ’s love from growing to its fullest potential.  Hate plants seeds of lust…pride….and materialism that keep God’s sacrificial love from taking root as deep as it needs.

I admit that it is hard to stay completely void of any hate.  It goes against our inner being to love some of the people we read about in the paper…or hear about on the news each day.  But if God loves them then I must find a way to love them too. The Bible clearly states that I can’t be his child if I don’t.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I must use your love to love everyone around me. Forgive me for the times that I have picked who I wanted to love….and kept a bit of hate in my heart for some. Help me to clean out my heart of all hate…so you can replace it with love and light and truth. Show me how to love even the most evil of hearts so they too can someday come to know your light and love. Amen.

Confession...Good For The Soul

1 John 1:8-9 -  If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.

John spends a few minutes explaining the basics of the Christian faith.  We are all sinners…but God allowed is precious son to die for all those sins. The blood he shed from his sinless life washes away all the dirtiness of our sinful one.  All it takes is one statement of our own corruption…and the faith we have in Jesus Christ will forgive our many sins.

Think about this…God already knows every sin we have ever committed. Nothing is hidden from him. The confession isn’t for God….it’s for us…to begin the work that humility does to transform that sinful life into something that God can use.

I loved the note in my Life Application Bible….it said…. “Confession allows maximum fellowship with God.” The more sin we confess and let out of our proverbial closet…the closer we can draw to Christ. The closer we draw to Christ the more peace and joy we feel on a daily basis.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to confess every sin that creeps into my heart. Forgive me for allowing some sin to stay tucked away in a closet…thinking if the world doesn’t know about it… it won’t hurt anything. Help me to confess every sin to you…so I can draw as close to you as possible…and shine bright with the light that you reflect in my life. Amen.

Hurry That Day Along

2 Peter 3:11-13-  And so since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives we should be living!  You should look forward to that day and hurry it along—the day when God will set the heavens on fire, and the heavenly bodies will melt and disappear in flames. But we are looking forward to God’s promise of new heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness.

Peter ends his letter to the church with a reminder that our home is not of this world. We should be looking forward to the day that God calls us home to live with him….while living the best life for him we can while we are still here. The troubles and sorrows we face here will disappear as we cross the threshold into God’s glorious kingdom of goodness.

It will come….like a thief in the night….so we need to be prepared at all times.  He says to use our time here to spread the word of his coming to others…and try to grow as much as we can spiritually between now and then….letting peace rule our decisions each day.

It is one of the easiest trips I have ever prepared for when you think about it.  I don’t have to pack a bag…arrange for the mail to be stopped…..or have someone check on the house.  I won’t be coming back to any of that. I prepare for this trip by letting God control more and more of my heart each day….his will directing me to more and more people that need to hear how God can change their life too.

I am guilty of taking my ticket to Heaven for granted….and not trying to grow spiritually each day. Peter says the way to do that is to let peace rule my decisions each day…and spread his love as much as I can to the people God allows to cross my path each day. Each time I share God with others I will grow as a result.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to prepare my heart each day for the ultimate trip to Heaven that you promised to all believers. Forgive me for taking my ticket for granted so many times and not allowing you to help me grow each day.  Show me how to share your love more freely with those that cross my path.  Help me see all the ways I can grow closer to you each day. Amen.

Choices Now....Judgement Later

2 Peter 2:7-9 - But at the same time the Lord rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a good man, sick of the terrible wickedness he saw everywhere around him day after day.   So also the Lord can rescue you and me from the temptations that surround us, and continue to punish the ungodly until the day of final judgment comes. 

Peter was writing to warn the church about the false teachers of the day that preached what men wanted to hear….just to make money. They lived in a world that permitted many sexual sins as acceptable…but Peter wanted to remind them that these sins would never be something that God saw as good.

We still live in a world that permits many sexual sins that the Bible clearly teaches is not God’s way. The problem is the same as in Lot’s and Noah’s day…God would would love to rescue them from the sin that controls them…but many choose not to believe.

The choice we make now will either make us better people…or weaken us into puppets of sin. The proof is in the judgment that only God will provide in the end. Those who ignore the word of God will understand the cost of their choice in the end. Those of us that make the right choice will transition into Heaven to be with God in all his glory.

Father…thank you for the reminder that my choices now will determine my future with you.  Forgive me for the times that I ignore you…or make a wrong choice….knowing that the Bible tells me better. Help me to stand strong and make only choices that you would approve….so my time with you in Heaven will be it fullest. Amen.

Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace?

2 Peter 1:2-3  -  Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better and better.  For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!

Peter asks a question that anyone would be smart to answer yes. Everyone can benefit from a little more kindness and peace in their lives….and the way to get it is as easy as getting to know God in a deeper way. What’s even more awesome is that the peace God gives also imparts his power… unleashing everything we need to live a truly blessed life.

Getting to know God means spending time doing the things God loves.  Reading and studying our Bible…praying for the needs of others…. doing acts of love that generate God’s power to heal the pain all around us. We need to spend time in worship with other believers…. and share the testimonies of how God has transformed our hearts.

I am guilty once again….for I am reminded that I take so much of God’s provisions for granted. My testimony these days is how he is letting me rest in a wonderful home….and spend all the time I want with family and friends.  Retirement has given me the time to do the things I love like sew…and quilt…and crochet….and read….and enjoy his creation on my wonderful deck.  God has given me an amazing  season of life that is truly as Peter says…..a truly good life. It makes me want to draw even closer to him….and find more ways to serve him in helping others.

Father…thank you for the reminder that drawing closer to you gives me peace and power to love you even more. Forgive me for the times that I take the great love you give me for granted.  Help me to praise you more often for all you have done…and draw even closer to you so I can be more of a vessel of your love.  Amen. 

Watch Out For Attacks

1Peter 5:8-9 -   Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too.

Peter takes a moment as he closes his first letter to warn his readers of the sure attacks that satan will bring now that they are a threat to his control of the world.  The more we understand our true calling and use for God…the more satan wants to interrupt our fulfillment of that calling.

His attacks are not always obvious and easy to spot.  Sometimes they are hidden in the things we love….the people we love… and the pleasures that create the most satisfaction to our lives.  Satan sneaks his attacks in ways that make us think we have done good things…until God reveals the dangers and damage our choices made after the fact. 

Peter makes one other great point that I am guilty of forgetting sometimes. Satan’s attacks make you feel so alone and battered.  You feel like you are the only one he is picking on…you just want him to go pick on somebody else for a while…but in reality he already is.  We are never alone in our suffering.  Someone else is going through a fire …somewhere.

I will stretch that thought one more ad say that I believe this suffering is one of the reasons God allows satan to attack us in the first place. We build skills to love deeper….hold on tighter….and endure more so we can help each other survive till Christ’s return.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to watch more closely for the attacks of satan so I can call on you to help me fight him off each time.  Forgive me for the times that I allow satan to control the fight for too long…and weaken the faith that you are trying to build in me. Help me to stand firm and trust you during the battle so you can control the outcome.  Amen.

What Is Your Special Gift?

1 Peter 4:10-11 -   God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.  Are you called to preach? Then preach as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies so that God will be glorified through Jesus Christ—to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Peter speaks to one of the reasons God allows us to live in His great creation. He created us with purpose and intention…..each one of us given a special ability to serve him in some way.  Peter is clear here….ALL of us were given this …not just some.  We are to use them to spread God’s love and give him the glory that he deserves.

Some people discover their God given ability early in life…using it even before they become a child of God. It becomes a battle of pride to turn the gift God gave them over to him…so he can redirect the use of it for him.  Others falsely think they have no ability…even after coming to know God. They forget that God’s gifts can sometimes be humble and subtle.

Once you realize the gift you have been given is to be used for God…or finally admit that he gave you one at all….the key is to learn to use it to spread the love of God to as many people as possible.  We are even closer to the deep conviction of Peter that the end is near and Christ is coming soon in verse 7. Our goal should be to tell everyone the good news of his love and salvation before he does.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I have been given a special ability to use for you.  Forgive me for the times that I fail to use it for your glory…or try to lessen its importance in the lives of those you called me to use it. Help me to love others through this gift and give you all the glory for any salvations that result.  Amen.