Love The Brothers and Sisters

1 John 3:11-24

March 9 - March 16, 2014

This message really hits home and challenges me to be more like Jesus.

1 John 3:16-18

By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay dow our lives for the brothers.  But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him.  Little children let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

If we know of a need that our brothers or sisters have and we do not fulfill it, John says that we have closed our heart against them.  This is difficult to hear having traveled around the world and seen the issues that face our brothers and sisters.  There are many who are dying of thirst, hunger and exposure. Is my heart closed against them.  Lord please, open my heart and break my heart moving me to compassion and a place of humble obedience to your call.

May the Lord bless us as we wrestle with how we are to live in light of this Scripture,

Geoff

Born Righteous

1 John 2:28 - 3:10

March 3 - March 10, 2014

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away and behold the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  What a wonderful thought.  Having been born of God (see John 3:1-15), I am no longer bound by the sinful desires that once ruled me.  I have been born of God and I am now His child.  I was born to be righteous, so now it is a matter of practicing who I have already been created to be.   What an encouragement and motivation it is to know that I am becoming that which God has created me to be in Christ Jesus.  We all get to practice who we are by putting off the old self with all of its chains and sin and putting on the new self as children of the King.

Enjoy this week as you practice righteousness, knowing that you have been recreated (born) in His image.

May the Lord bless you and give you grace as you follow after Him,
Geoff 

I John - Saved?

I John 2:3-11

February 9-16

This Scripture is hard enough when we think about the fact that we are to love our brothers even if they sin against us.  This is clearly spelled out for us in Matthew 5:43-48.  The standard becomes much more difficult when we examine this in the context of the "new commandment" that John talks about in this weeks Scripture.  In order to understand what he is talking about, read John 13:34-35 and you will see that the standard that Jesus sets for this new commandment is even more challenging than is found in the Matthew passage discussed above.  We are to love like Jesus loved us.  Throughout the week, think about how Jesus loved you sacrificially and gave Himself up for you.  Now, go and love those who love you and those who are persecuting you the way that Jesus loved you (sacrificially).  By this, the world will know that you are the Lord's disciple.

May the Lord bless and keep you this week as you think about these wonderful and challenging things that we find in the Scriptures!

Geoff