"A little while longer and the
world will see Me no more,
but you will see Me.
Because I live, you will live also.
At that day you will know that
I am in My Father,
and you in Me, and I
in you."
John 14:19-20
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Hello again, ladies! Let's pray....
"Holy Father, our Lord and Savior, I pray to You this day and thank You for giving us the gift of life. We live now because You live. Because You conquered death, we now have life everlasting. I praise Your holy name. You alone are worthy to be praised. Thank You for that gift.
Lord, i seek the forgivness of my sins. Forgive me for not being in Your word enough this past week. I know this is sin and I pray that You will forgive me. I pray for the release of the bondage of sin. Make me new again, Lord. Restore my faith and give me a passion to study Your word.
I lift up each lady reading this study with her own individual needs right now. I pray that she is seeking You and Your guidance throughout her day. I pray that You will go to her. Protect her and her children or grandchildren. I pray that You will use her this day to serve You. Encourage her, let her know You are with her.
In Jesus' name...amen."
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Seeing God Through Love
Today we will continue to look at how others will see God through our love if we are obedient. John stresses love throughout chapter 4 of this book because he knows how important it is to remain in that love of God. He walked with Christ and saw that "agape" love revealed when Christ laid down His life for John and the others. John obviously was changed dramatically so, along with the other disciples, by that one act of Christ.
Not wanting his fellow believers to stray from that love, John reiterates it throughout this book.
In our last lesson, we looked at how John states that no one has seen God at any one time, but if we love one another, God abides in us and then others will see God through our love for them. His love will be perfected in us.
Now, as we continue, John wants us to remember what it means to abide in God, His Spirit, and His Son, Jesus the Savior of the world.
1 John 4:13-14-
"By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world."
John reminds believers that we were given the Spirit of the Lord which is how we know we abide in Him. As our opening verse states, Jesus is in the Father, and both are in us. Wow, what a statement. Imagine the disciples' faces when they heard that news! There had been silence from God for 400 years, the people were growing dismayed. Now they were face to face with their Messiah and He was telling them that they can be one with God....distant, far away God was now so close that He was abiding in them! What glorious news that must have been to their ears. Except they didn't quite understand it at that moment.
Jesus would later give them the Holy Spirit who opened their eyes and their understanding.
Please read:
Acts 2:1-4
But others in the Old Testament were also given the Spirit of God:
Gen 41:37-38
Num 27:18
Judges 3:9-10
Joseph was such a witness of the Lord by his conduct that even the Pharoah acknowledged that Jospeh was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
Neh 9:18-20 & 30
Here we read in Nehemiah that God gave His Spirit to His people. In these verses we have a clear picture of the Trinity. God in triune.
John wants all believers to remember that we are now one with God as His people were, as His servants were, and as Christ is. How wonderful! This is something we should never forget.
Ps 104:30
Ps 143:10
Is 42:1-4
Is 48:16
Is 61:1
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"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world."
John, ever the responsible writer, wants to remain clear that he is a qualified Apostle. He has truly seen Jesus and walked with Him. In this verse, John reiterates that he tesifies of what he has seen.
John 1:14
Luke 5:1-11
John was there. He witnessed that God had indeed sent His Son to be Savior of the world.
John 3:17
John 4:42
There were many other witnesses to Christ's ministry as well. John was one. Now, we are the witnesses as well because of the Holy Spirit given to us.
Rom 5:5
As a result, we are to take that knowledge and tell others about it, but also to show others about that love of God abiding in us. We are now one with God through Christ. To keep that a secret takes away from the Gospel message. We are commanded to take that message and make disciples of nations.
Take with you the knowledge today that the love of God abides in you. Show that love to others today.
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Life Application
I find it so fascinating to read this book knowing it was written by a man who walked with Christ. He ate with Jesus and witnessed all those miracles chronicled in his book....as well as many others we never even heard about!
John's letter is very encouraging to all Christians. It gives us a clear glimpse into what it is we are supposed to be doing here on earth as we await the return of our Savior. We are not to coneal our love, but to reveal it as He did and continues to do daily.
Our love for the brethren should be apparent. We should not pick and chose who we are to love, but to love all believers. God is love, says John, so we are to love as He loves us.
John 3:16
1 John 4:7
If you know God, then you are to love.
Take that knowledge with you today. Meditate on His love for you. Think about all the things He has done for you and all the things He has saved you from.
Then rejoice in His wisdom and love.
Ps 34:1-2
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Until next time....
"The Bible does not allow us to rest in a merely formal relationship with God. It is possible to attend every church service and prayer meeting, to read the Bible regularly, to teach and preach the Scriptures, and yet not know God. If our lives do not manifest, even dimly, something of the love of God in Jesus Christ, then we cannot claim to be Christians."
-Dr. Joel Beeke (The Epistles of John, 2006, p. 160)
Blessings,
Ruth
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