Bible Scripture Reading

"Greeting in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 26 September 2012"

Today's Blog Title: "Ending Summary of 1 John (Part 1)

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM 1 JOHN

On Believers Sins: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous."

On Knowing God: 1 John 2:4 "The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar."

On Loving: 1 John 2:9 "Anyone who claims to be in the light, but hates his brother is till in darkness."

On Professed Believers Who Abandon Their Faith: 1 John 2:19  "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us.

On the Impact of Salvation: 1 John 3:9 "No one who is born of God, will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go one sinning."

On the Nature of Love: 1 John 3:16: "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."

On Assurance of Salvation: 1 John 5:1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."                                 
1 John 5:11-12 "This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son,  he who has the Son has life."

The next writing, will be part two of the Ending Summary, for the Book of 1 John.

Click on this link at www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse from Proverbs 3:5-6.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today.  Always remember that when you have a spiritual, emotional, physical, or financial issue in your life, and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN."

JESUS REIGNS!!!   May God's Love, Peace, Strength, and Grace be with all of you.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi







 

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 26 September 2012'

Today's Blogs Title: "Confidence and Compassion in Prayer"
Today's Bogs Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:1-21
Today's Blog Key Verse: 1 John 5:13-14 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

In verse 1, "Him that begat" means a father, in this case, God. "That is begotten of Him" means a son, in this case, Jesus.  John makes the general, illustrative point, that one who cares for a father, customarily cares also for that father's child.  Thus the person who truly loves God, will also give the Son His due.  "That is begotten of Him" could also refer to individual believers.  In this case, John would be stressing that he who loves God in truth, will also love other children of God.  Our relationship to God, and obedience to His commandments, are inseparably linked.

"Whosoever in verse 4, refers to every believer born of God.  There is conquering power through this confession, because God is sovereign over the world, and only through the Son does man have access to, and find favor with God.

"Water and Blood" in verse 6, is the water baptism of Jesus, and the blood, is the blood that He shed in His atoning death for us.  The "Spirit" gives assurance that the Biblical Message about Jesus is true.  To deny the Biblical "witness" of Christ, is to reject God Himself.

Verse 13 tells us, that the Scriptures clearly teach, that it is possible to know whether you are saved or unsaved.. The assurance of the believer is not based on feeling, but on the principles of God's Word. We as believers know that we are saved because Christ is in our hearts (Colossians 1:27;  1 John 5:12), because of the witness of the Word of God (1 John 5:10-11), because of answered prayer (John 14:14; 1 John 5:14-15), because of our understanding of the Scriptures (1 John 5:20), because we keep His commandments (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 5:18), because we love the brethren (1 John 3:14), and because we have inner confidence, and are fully persuaded, concerning the keeping power of God in salvation (2 Timothy 1:12).  Because of that assurance, we as believers need not be ashamed of Christ, even when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances (2 Timothy 1:12).

Assurance of salvation leads to confidence in petition.  Effectual prayer, is praying "in accordance to His Will."  John, in verses 16-17 describes the confidence with which we can pray.  He urges us to pray for any brother (Christian), who has slipped into sin.  John doesn't define the "sin that leads to death," but he undoubtedly means physical rather than spiritual death.  Our prayers will be answered, for "the one born of God does not continue to sin."

John, in the concluding verses of chapter 5, makes a final note of assurance.  We as believer's are in God, despite the majority of humanity lying in the power of Satan.  Christ has come, and He has imparted spiritual insight.  Thus we know Him, because He made Himself known, and we are in Him, because He has claimed us. (Praise God)  John concludes with a ringing affirmation of the full deity of the Son, a notable theme of John's gospel.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today. Always remember that when you have a spiritual, emotional, physical, or financial dilemma in your life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN."

JESUS REIGNS!!!  May God's Love, Peace, Strength, and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi


  

 

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 17 September 2012"

Today's Blogs Title: "Knowing God Through Love."
Today's Blogs Scripture Reading: 1 John 4:1-21
Today's Blogs Key Verse: 1 John 4:8 "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

In 1 John 3:24, we read that the Holy Spirit gives the believers assurance. But how do we as believers know it is God's Spirit, and not a lying one, who is assuring them? John acknowledges the presence of numerous spirits.  John warns us as Christians, that we must be "wary" that they not be mislead. 

John's opponents, may have claimed to follow Christ, but without accepting that the Son, who came in the flesh, was also One with the Father. This position was held by many Gnostic's.  John tells us that the Spirit will enlighten true believers to confess that Christ did come "in the flesh."  Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 6:46, speaks of those who call Him "Lord" but are false followers.

John attributes the work of the false prophets to the "spirit of the antichrist."  Jesus indwells believers; Satan is likewise the lord of his own followers.  But Jesus is greater than he who wreaks havoc in this world (Praise God).  The strength of the believer is in the fact that we are "born of God."

"They" in verse 5, refers to all who are ruled by the spirit of the antichrist.  The world and those that are in darkness, who are separated from God, find the teachings of false teachers, more appealing than the "truth of God."  Those who recognize the truth of the New Testament witness to Christ, will recognize and confirm to the teachings that John is presenting here in this chapter. 

In verse 7, John returns to the theme of mutual love. Perhaps the false teaching, he felt compelled to combat, had contributed to suspicion and contention in the fellowship.  John is not saying, that everyone who loves is somehow a Christian, whether they trust in Christ or not.  John makes it very clear, that true knowledge in God, will involve a right belief about Jesus, as well as a right response to God, including love of others.  Just mere human love, which is apart from the redeeming presence, and motivation will fall short of love in its fullest dimension as a human response to God's perfect and infinite compassion.

John is his writings tells us in 1 John 1:5, that "God is Light" and in John 4:24, that God is Spirit.  Love is one of the many attributes of God, and it is to be understood in relation to the others, such as holiness and justice.  To grasp God's love right, one must look to how God has demonstrated it.  No human love is the standard for understanding God's great compassion, but God's own action on our behalf.

God's character through His Spirit, is to shape and progressively dominate the character of the believer.  The Spirit of God imparts the will to love.  Trust in Jesus as the incarnate Son of God of God, makes genuine, God indwelled love possible.  John here as did Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13, stresses the supremacy of love as a characteristic of God, and therefore as a dominant character of a true believer.

By dwelling in love, and thus having God dwelling in us, the believer gains the priceless assurance that he need not fear the coming judgment. For the non-believer, a fear of God is based on dread of the coming judgment of God.  "Fear" is till part of our walk as Christians in the sense of profound reverence, and the unwillingness to violate God's trust in us (Acts 10:35; 13;26; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:12; 1 Peter 1:17).  We as believers need not fear eternal rejection as a result of God's judgment (John 5:24), but this does not mean that a Christians approach to God is to be causal or flippant.

Our love as Christians, will mirror God's love, and is not of our own but God's doing. Someone who claims to love God, while holding love from others, is someone who does not have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit within them, for Jesus Himself commanded that those who love God, will demonstrate God's love through loving others.    

Click on this link www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse from Ephesians 3:3-5.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today. Always remember that when you have a spiritual, emotional, physical, or financial in you life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN." 

JESUS REIGNS!!!  May God's Love, Peace, Strength, and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi
 

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 12 September 2012"

Today's Blogs Title: "Sin and the Child of God"
Today's Blogs Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:1-24
Today's Blogs Key Verse: 1 John 3:22 "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."

"Bestowed" in verse 1, is in the perfect tense, suggesting the enduring effect of the love God has given.  Believers are children of God by virtue of being born of Him (1 John 2:29).  Jesus stressed a connection between how the world related to God and how it would in turn, relate to the true followers of Jesus (John 15:18).

At the Second Coming of Jesus, we shall somehow be transformed into His likeness.  This process has already begun in the believers life (2 Corinthians 3:18).  While we await the Second Coming of Christ, we need to be diligent in growth in holiness, "for He is pure" and the "pure in heart" shall see God (Matthew 5:8).

In verse 4, John's point is that when we break the law (sin), we rebel against God.  Any violation of the moral standards God has revealed is "rebelliousness."  What we do in the flesh, is of real importance.  Jesus came to take away away sin, this is another reason why Christians should practice sin.  For to abide in Christ, is to be dead to sin.  The one who habitually lives in sin has NEVER been transformed by the life changing power and purity of Jesus.

In verses 7 and 8, there could have been a temptation to water down God's Word at this point.  However John resists such a move and tells us that "sin" is of the Satan.  Christ came to destroy the deeds of Satan.  To do the deeds of Satan is to declare allegiance to him, and not to Jesus.  Thus we see that sin and being a Christian are mutually exclusive.

John is not teaching sinless perfection, for we will not have that till be receive our glorified bodies, but John is speaking of the habitual practice of known sinful acts.  As Believers, our actions will conform to our to the character of out true Father, Almighty God.  John tells us that a mere "Profession of Faith" in Christ was insufficient if it was not accompanied by the outward marks of divine parentage.  He further links love for other Christians closely with righteous living (John 13:35).

In light of the strict teachings of John in this chapter, he may have felt that some readers might begin to despair.  He then assures them that, although our feeble attempts to honor God may leave us feeling defeated inside, God is greater that our self awareness (1 Corinthians 4:4) and can justify us even when we would "condemn" ourselves.  He see not only our actions, which at times are thwarted of misguided, but also the "motives" and "intentions" behind them.

We can have confidence toward God, if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth in John's writing.  John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how we subjectively feel about ourselves.  That is why John has given us so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess ourselves by. 

One of the greatest results of a life lived in purity before God, is a life where there is effective prayer.  Right living is an important part of successful praying.  John has set forth the importance of true Faith in Christ, and true love for others, and he has combined both.  "He in him" in verse 24, refers to Jesus in the believer.  The Holy Spirit gives us internal assurance to corroborate the external testimony of true Faith, Active Love, and Constant Obedience.

Click on this link www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse Reading from Psalm 5:1-3.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today.  Always remember that when you have a spiritual dilemma in your life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN." 

JESUS REIGNS!!!  May God's Love, Peace, Strength, and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi


  

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 10 September 2011"

Today's Blogs Title: "The Tests Of Knowing Him"
Today's Blogs Scripture Reading: 1 John 2:1-29
Today's Blogs Key Verse: 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

The term "advocate" in verse 1, denotes a lawyer who represents his client before a court of law.  When applied to the present ministry of Christ, it speaks of His work for sinning believers to restore them to fellowship.  The work of Jesus as an advocate, is based sufficiency of His blood for all sin, past and present.  In the Old Testament, when David confessed his sin, he was forgiven and restored to a place of service.  We as Christians have an advocate with the Father, and our goal in life is ought to be overcoming sin.

All people are tempted differently according to their individual weaknesses.  Temptations follow patterns, and they appeal to three fundamental areas of life: (1) the lust of the flesh (physical desires) (2) the lust of the eyes (personal desires) and (3) the pride of life (self interest).  When Satan, in Genesis 3:6, caused the fall of the human race, he appealed to each of these areas of weakness.  He also appealed to them when he tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11), but Jesus defied the temptations on Satan by relying on the authority of God's Word from Scripture.  We as Christians today, should follow the example of Jesus, and depend on God's Word to defeat Satan, and the attacks of the spiritual world.

The term antichrist refers to anyone usurping the place of Christ or opposing Christ.  But the title Antichrist identifies a person who emerges during the Great Tribulation to lead Satan's strategy on earth.  This term is used five times in the New Testament and only by John, although the Antichrist of the Great Tribulation is identified by many other names and titled in Scripture: "that wicked" (2 Thessalonians 2:8); "the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3); the willful king (Daniel 11:36).  He is chiefly depicted in Scripture as an immensely powerful political leader.  He apparently heads the revived Roman Empire, but will not be revealed until after the Rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  In the past, overzealous teachers of prophecy, have identified several world leaders as the Antichrist, and we as Christians, should not only be aware of this tendency, and avoid it, we should also recognize that the spirit of the antichrist is already at work, in this world.

 John in this chapter, has been urging us as we read this, to let what we have heard at the beginning abide in us.  Here in the verse 28, he is advising us to abide in Christ Himself.  If we abide in Jesus, we will avoid embarrassment when Jesus returns.  The shame that we will have will be the result of not having had a lifestyle of obedience when Jesus comes again.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today.  Always remember that when you have a spiritual, emotional, physical, or financial in your life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN."

JESUS REIGNS!!!  May God's Love, Peace, Strength and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi
 

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ for 3 September 2012"

Today's Blog Title: "God Is Light"
Today's Blog Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:1-10
Today's Blog Key Verse: 1 John 1:5 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all."

In verse 1, John and in this chapter alludes to his eyewitness status.  That of which he speaks, he has witnessed personally.  His witness pertains to "the WORD of life," which is the proclamation concerning the One in whom was life.

"Was manifest" in verse 2, means "appeared."  The life of John and what others saw is what 1 John seeks to convey to its readers. John says this life, which is summed up, and was shown forth in Jesus Christ, "was with the Father."  This statement echos John 1:1 and points to Christ's preexistence, His eternal presence. and His Oneness with God the Father.

John seeks to establish, or perhaps to broaden, the "fellowship" between himself and his readers.  "Fellowship" here means "a close association or relationship."  In Christian terms this means mutual acceptance of and submission to the verities of Christian Faith.  It means sharing in personal knowledge of and heartfelt obedience to God through Jesus Christ.

The major purpose of 1 John is stated in 5:13, but another purpose is stated here: for the recipients, and no doubt John as well, to enjoy and share in the deep sense of satisfaction and purpose that knowing Christ, and walking with Him brings.  

In verse 5, John once again implies his eyewitness status, having "heard of Him," that is, Jesus.  John passes on to the church teachings that he first received from Jesus.  "Light" and "darkness" here have ethical overtones.  John is saying that God is perfect and good; there is no sin or evil in Him.

"Walking in darkness" means walking in sin. John may have had in mind people who claimed to be enjoying a close relationship with God, but whose  lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John says boldly, is impossible and that such persons are lying.

John has told us in verse 5, that "God is Light" and in verse 7 to "walk in this Light" which is to live free from the bondage of sin, is to make true communion between believers possible.  The violent death of Jesus on the Cross which is what "blood" signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin's presence and power.

In verse 8 John tells us that if we say, "that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us," for Jesus taught that those who owned up to there sin could find forgiveness, while whose who were blind to their sin would be left to mire in it.   

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today. Pray for our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their Faith and Trust in Jesus. Always remember that when you have a spiritual, physical, emotional, or financial issue in your life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN." 

Click on this link www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse from John 9:1-5.

JESUS REIGNS!!!  May God's Love, Peace, Strength, and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi

Bible Scripture Reading

Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 31 August 2012"

Today's Blog Title: "Introduction to 1st John"

Study of the three Epistles of John suggests that all came from the same hand.  Evidence points to John the son of Zebedee, as the writer who also penned the gospel bearing his name.  Tradition has it that John wrote theses letters in Ephesus in the latter years of his life.  This letter was written around 90 A.D.

John writes, "that you may know that you have eternal life" as the purpose of his writings.  In a sense, he seeks to strengthen the faith of the readers that would be reading these writings.  First John, is distinctive in its emphasis on assurance of salvation.  John, often wrote in contrasting elements: light and darkness, love and hate, God's Spirit and the spirit of the Antichrist, God's children and the children of the Devil.

These letters of John, are warmly personal in character.  Again and again John writes that Jesus came in the "flesh," that righteous conduct, is essential in those who have been born of God, and that "Love" is the mark of a vital relationship with God. 

The Words of Wisdom from First John:

On Believers Sins:                                                              1 John 1:9  
On Knowing God:                                                              1 John 2:4   
On Loving                                                                           1 John 2:9
On Professed Believers Who Abandon Their Faith       1 John 2:19
On The Impact of Salvation                                              1 John 3:9
On The Nature Of Love                                                     1 John 3:16
On Assurance Of Salvation:                                              1 John 5:11-12

There may be no better Epistles in the New Testament, that better remind us of the basic truths which we as Christians believe, and which we are called to live.  
 
Today's Biblical Truth: "The person who excuses themselves for their sins, is being weighted down by them.  When we confess our sins, we leave them behind."

Click on this link www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse from Psalm 62:5-8

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today. Pray for our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their Faith and Trust in Jesus.  Always remember that when you have a spiritual, physical, or financial in your life and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD Whispers to you, "BUT I CAN."

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.

JESUS REIGNS!!!  May God's Love, Peace, Strength, and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi