DAY 1 – February 22, 2010

TITLE: “CONTINUE IN HIM.”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 2:28-3:10

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 2:28

KEY VERSE: “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” I John 2:28

Christianity is not an event; it is a lifestyle. Walking with Jesus is not something we do just when we feel like it or when it meets our needs for the moment. The scripture calls us to continue in Him. To continue in Him is to be in fellowship with Him and depend upon Him, for He is our source of life. As children of God, we are to live in a relationship with God, for that is our privilege as children of God. As Austin Miles wrote, “And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.”

Jesus speaks of this relationship with God clearly in the gospel of John. He wrote,

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” John 15:4-7. In order to be confident and unashamed before the Lord, we must continue or remain in Him. He is the source of our spiritual lives.

Last week, I made a trip to Salem for a Nazarene District meeting. It was a wonderful time to meet and invest with people preparing for the ministry and seeking to be ordained as pastors. However, I was at that meeting not just because I started driving there from Medford. I was at the meeting because I continued the drive or journey until I arrived there. Living for Jesus is a journey. It is something we continue to do, moment by moment, and day by day. In writing to Timothy, Paul, his mentor, instructed, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” II Timothy 3:14-15

Each day we have challenges to face and opportunities to live out our faith in Christ. The good news is that we do not have to face our challenges or opportunities alone. We can draw from His strength and find all the help we need as we abide and continue in Him.

DAY 2 – February 23, 2010

TITLE: “HE IS RIGHTEOUS”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 2:28-3:10

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 2:29

KEY VERSE: “If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.” I John 2:29

When Scottish theologian, John Baillie, taught at Edinburgh University, he made it a practice to open his course on the doctrine of God with these words, “We must remember, in discussing God that we cannot talk about Him without His hearing every word we say. We may be able to talk about others behind their backs, but God is everywhere, yes, even in this classroom. Therefore, in all our discussions we must be aware of His infinite presence, and talk about Him, as it were, before His face.”

He was speaking about the omnipresence of God. This is just one of the many characteristics of God.

The scriptures use many words to describe God. Words like compassionate, eternal, faithful, gracious, holy, just, loving, merciful, omnipotent, powerful and wise are just a few of the words in scripture used to describe the characteristics of God. If you were to describe God, what words might you use?

Among other words, I John uses righteous to describe God. The word righteousness describes one who is right in character and action. The Psalmist said, “Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.” Psalm 48:10. Since God is righteous, He is righteous in all He does. The Psalmist said, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.” Psalm 145:17. The prophet Jeremiah said, “In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:6

The New Testament uses the term righteousness in one form or another no less than 228 times. Used with reference to morality, righteous means living or acting in the right ways. Since God is righteous, He will deal with man in accordance to His character, for God can never be less than He is. Jesus is the righteous one who died on the cross to make the sinner righteous so we might live in relationship with a righteous God. One pastor said, “God never alters the robe of righteousness to fit man; He changes the man to fit the robe.” In other words, His righteousness changes our lives and therefore the way we live. A right relationship with a righteous God will result in right behavior in our own lives. Righteous or holy living is evidence of a relationship with a righteousness God.

DAY 3 – February 24, 2010

TITLE: “HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 2:28-3:10

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 3:1

KEY VERSE: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” I John 3:1

How would you describe the love of God? John described it as a great love. He pointed out that His love enables us to be called children of God. The well known John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Paul talked about God’s love when he wrote, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. How great is the love God has lavished on us!

Salvation is only possible because of God’s amazing love. The apostle Paul said this about the great love of God in his letter to the Ephesians. He wrote, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5. Take a few moments to reflect on the greatness of the love of God as you read the words of the following songs:

“I’m forgiven because You were forsaken, I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me, Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love, How can it be That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love, I know it’s true. It’s my joy to honor You
In all I do, I honor You.” (You are My King - Billy James Foote)

“The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure the saints’ and angels’ song.”

When years of time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong.”
(Redeeming Grace to Adam’s Race— The Saints’ and Angels’ Song - Frederick M. Lehman)

DAY 4 – February 25, 2010

TITLE: “PURITY”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 2:28-3:10

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 3:2-3

KEY VERSE: “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

I John 3:3

This verse speaks of our responsibility to purify ourselves as children of God. We are accountable to God for what we do. Paul speaks along the same lines when he writes, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

II Corinthians 7:1. Both of these verses speak of the motivation for purifying ourselves.

We are called to purify ourselves just as He is pure. God is the source of purity. It is God who purifies the heart through faith in Him. No man can keep himself pure by his own will and effort, but we can continually walk in the light and this light, the revealed truth of God in Christ serves as the purifying ray. Purity comes from and through the one who is pure. God enters and purifies our heart through His Holy Spirit. Acts 15:8-9 reminds us, “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

Because God is pure, as His children, we are called to purify ourselves. To purify oneself is to abstain from desire of the world. James 1:27 instructs, “…keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” As His children, we are called to a higher standard that is possible only through Him. Because God is pure, we are called to take living pure lives seriously.

In the forests of northern Europe and Asia lives a little animal called the ermine, known for his snow-white fur in winter. He instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would soil it. Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine. They don't set a snare to catch him, but instead, they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree. They smear the entrance and interior with grime. Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the ermine. The frightened animal flees toward home, but doesn't enter because of the filth. Rather than soil his white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life. This story challenges us and brings forth the question, “How committed am I to living a pure life?”

DAY 5 – February 26, 2010

TITLE: “DO NOT LET ANYONE LEAD YOU ASTRAY”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 2:28-3:10

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 3:4-10

KEY VERSE: “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.” I John 3:7

Warnings can be stated in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons. One Arkansas farmer discourages trespassers with this admonition, "Please do not trample the poison ivy or feed the bull." In this passage, John gives the clear warning, “do not let anyone lead you astray.”

As a child, my father would talk about staying on the straight and narrow way. His point was not to turn to the left or right, but to stay on the path of righteousness. The proverbs instruct, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27. The point is to stay on the path of righteousness being careful not to veer to the left or the right.

When God was calling Joshua to lead the people of God to the Promised Land, He gave him clear instructions. He said, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7. The command again was to stay on the path of righteousness.

John is concerned that the people do not turn away from the path of righteousness. The scripture makes it clear that it is the person who actually does what is right or literally the one who practices righteousness or justice who truly is righteous or just. He warns them to be alert and take care that no one leads them astray. Each of us must take responsibility for who we follow. We are responsible and accountable for the paths we walk and the way we live. John shares with us to“walk in the light as he is in the light.” John 1:7. Therefore, he gives a clear warning to his readers and to us not to be led from the path of following God. They would be led astray if they were to think that righteousness need not be expressed in righteous conduct. Jesus modeled a life of righteousness and we are to follow in His footprints. John clearly stated, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” I John 2:6. The way we live follows our walk with Jesus.

During the 1982 war in the Falkland Islands between England and Argentina, the Royal Navy's 3,500-ton destroyer, HMS Sheffield was sunk by a single missile fired from an Argentine fighter jet.  It caused some people to wonder if modern surface warships were obsolete, sitting ducks for today's sophisticated missiles. But, a later check revealed that the Sheffield's defenses did pick up the incoming missile, and the ship's computer correctly identified it as a French-made Exocet. But the computer was programmed to ignore Exocets as "friendly". The Sheffield was sunk by a missile it saw coming and could have evaded. Let us not ignore the warning and let our guard down. As John warned, “…do not let anyone lead you astray.”