To encourage others and help us grow in our faith and understanding please be sure to read and/or share comments about today’s discussion below.
Tag: God
Weekend Reflection (3)
Be sure to check back here tomorrow for our weekly video discussion.
- How does perfect love drive out fear? (see Monday, 1 John 4:12-19)
- Why are obedience and love so closely related when it comes to walking with God? (Tuesday, 1 John 4:20-5:4)
- How do we know if we are praying according to God’s will? Does He hear us if we do not pray according to His will? (Thursday, 1 John 5:13-21; for reasons God doesn’t “hear us” check out https://www.gotquestions.org/does-God-hear-my-prayers.html)
- How does God want us to approach Him when we pray? (Thursday, 1 John 5:13-21, see also Heb. 4:15-16)
- Does it bring God joy when we are walking in the truth and obeying His commands? How is this different than earning our salvation by works?
To encourage others please be sure to read and/or share your answers in the reply bar at the bottom of the page.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
“Know Love”: Week 3 – Friday
According to verse 4, why did John rejoice greatly? Share your answer or a comment on today’s reading in the reply box at the bottom of the page. Or, simply let me know you’re participating in the study so that I can rejoice over you and encourage you along the way.
Today’s Scripture: 2 John 1-4 (S.O.A.P. 4)
Introduction and Thanksgiving 1 From the elder, to an elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth (and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth), 2 because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly because I have found some of your children living according to the truth just as the Father commanded us.
“Know Love”: Week 3 – Thursday
John wanted believers to be confident in coming before God. What reason does he give for this confidence? Share your answer or a comment on today’s reading in the reply box at the bottom of the page.
Today’s Scripture: 1 John 5:13-21 (S.O.A.P. 1 John 5 14-15)
That You May Know 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to his will He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
“Know Love”: Week 3-Tuesday
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Today’s Scripture: 1 John 4:20-5:4 (S.O.A.P 1 John 5:3)
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Overcoming the World 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
“Know Love”: Week 3-Monday
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Challenge: This week think of someone in your life with whom you can share the testimony of Jesus (1 John 5:11-12). Who in your life needs to hear this truth? Ask God to give you a clear opportunity this week to share your faith with this person and ask Him for boldness to share when the time arises.
NEW: Prayer Focus for this week – Spend time praying for your friends
Today’s Scripture: 1 John 4:12-19 (S.O.A.P 1 John 4:16)
12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God. 16 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. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for 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. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because He first loved us.
Weekend Reflection (2)
Be sure to check by here tomorrow for our weekly video discussion.
- What does it mean to “remain in Him”? What does this look like in your daily life?
- Why is it important for us to be generous to other believers? How can you be generous with the resources God has given you to bless and care for others in the body of Christ?
- How can you test the teachings of others to know whether or not they are from God? Why is this an important practice?
- How did God display His love to us? How does He continue to display His love to us?
- How are we agents of revealing God’s love to the world?
To encourage others please be sure to read and/or share your answers in the reply bar at the bottom of the page.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
“Know Love”: Week 2 – Thursday
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Today’s Scripture: 1 John 4:1-6 (S.O.A.P 1 John 4:4-5)
1Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a propheta acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
4But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
“Know Love”: Week 2 – Wednesday
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Don’t forget this week’s CHALLENGE: Take extra time this week to observe and interpret 1 John 3:19-20. How does our conscience condemn us? What does Romans 8:1-4 say about this? How do these truths affect what you believe about grace?
Today’s Scripture: 1 John 3:18-24 (S.O.A.P 1 John3:19-20)
18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.
23 And this is His commandment: We must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with Him, and He with them. And we know He lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us.
Nothing Can Separate Me
August 22, 2020
Father, You are Good and I am thankful. Thankful that I do not work on Saturday so that I am able to awake later and STAY in bed or sit at my desk – in the quiet – undisturbed – unscheduled day and hear Your voice and read Your Word and glean and write and encourage and be encouraged … where I can hide Your Word in my heart and rehearse it … where my body finds rest and my heart and mind restoration. You meet me on Saturdays with Your healing balm and I am eternally blessed.
This morning’s Scripture(s) came as I was rehearsing Your Word that has been hidden in my heart – specifically, Isaiah 59:2 that says our sin separates us from You – that they hide Your face from us so that You will not hear! Immediately, before I could finish the last word, Your Spirit reminded me of Paul’s words in Roman 8:38-39 where he says he is convinced that “NOTHING can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” So, I’ve spent some time chasing down what at first – and even second – glance can seem like an antithesis. The bottom line is this – Isaiah’s words are right – sin does separate us from You God because You are holy and cannot and will not tolerate sin. However, Paul is also right – in that “Nothing can separate us from the LOVE OF GOD that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” While sin can/does put a “wedge” between us and You, Father, it cannot and will not separate us/me from Your Love! I know this is true because the depth of Your love propelled You to give Your only Son so that all who believe in Him will have “everlasting” life. I know this because Your Spirit lives in me and is a sign and a seal that I am Yours eternally! If we do not believe surely we will die and forever be separated from You! But, for all those who believe You have given the rights to become Your children – and this, through Christ’s atoning blood and righteousness – so that when You look on us – on me – You do not see the wretched sinner that I was but the NEW CREATION that I am in Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior! So, the two passages are not antithesis at all but rather – one – a warning to be heeded and the other – a beautiful LIFE GIVING PROMISE to claim.
It is with great pleasure that in the middle of this morning’s lesson I noticed Your fingerprints on my morning. As I saw how lovely You had highlighted and tied together these [random] Scriptures with the Scriptures and lessons in my current study – “Know Love”. Only You God, only You could orchestrate and carry out this timing so perfectly! Is it any wonder that I love You and proclaim morning after morning that You are Good!?
Me From the Inside Out 