DAY 1 – March 29, 2010
TITLE: “SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW ”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 5:13
John’s writing was intentional. He wrote to the church with a purpose. Listen again to the reason he wrote what he did. John declared, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 5:13. Seven times in these closing verses John refers to what we believers know. He did not say all that he said so we could hope we would have eternal life. He poured out his heart to the people he dearly loved so, they would know they had eternal life. Praise God, eternal life is something we do not have to guess at.
John had written all these things to strengthen the Christian believers who were dealing with doubt. His letter was a letter of great assurance to the people, then as well as to us today. Active faith in the powerful name and work of Jesus opens the door to assurance of eternal Life. Jesus, the Son of God, is the object of our faith and the reason we can know we have eternal life. Jesus is the ‘Name above all names,’ and the only name through which we can have salvation and, consequently, eternal life through forgiveness of sin. Acts 4:12 reminds us, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Jesus is the source of the blessed assurance that we have eternal life.
“Blessed assurance,
Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation,
purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission,
perfect delight, visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission,
all is at rest; I
in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his
love.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.” Fanny J. Crosby
DAY 2 – March 30, 2010
TITLE: “THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” I John 5:14
The American painter, John Sargent, once painted a panel of roses that was highly praised by critics. It was a small picture, but it approached perfection. Although offered a high price for it on many occasions, Sargent refused to sell it. He considered it his best work and was very proud of it. Whenever he was deeply discouraged and doubtful of his abilities as an artist, he would look at it and remind himself, "I painted that." Then his confidence and ability would come back to him. It was a technique he used to restore and strengthen self confidence.
Prayer is not the result of self confidence, but confidence in God. This confidence or boldness in approaching God comes from the relationship we have with God through faith in Jesus. The word, “confidence,” means a state of boldness, even in the face of intimidating circumstances. We have confidence because of who God is. God is the approachable God. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” You can come to God in prayer with confidence because God is present, powerful, and reachable. Think about that a moment. You have access to the all powerful and all loving God. Prayer is a wonderful privilege.
John deepens our understanding of how to pray. In his previous writings, he laid down the conditions of prayer as obedience, praying in His name and abiding in Christ. Here John focuses on the condition of praying according to His will. The prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray reminds us of the significance and importance of the will of God. It says, “…Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10
Prayer is not about changing the will of God or manipulating
God to do what we think is best. Prayer is about knowing and doing the will of
the Father. Prayer is the submission of
our will to God’s will. Jesus modeled this in His prayer at the
“Not my will, but
Thine; not my will, but Thine;
Not my will, but Thy
will, be done, Lord, in me.
May Thy Spirit divine
fill this being of mine.
Not my will, but Thy will, be done, Lord, in me.” Hugh Benner
DAY 3 – March 31, 2010
TITLE: “INTERCESSORY PRAYER”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life…” I John 5:16
Early in my life I became familiar with the term, “Intercessory Prayer.” In essence, intercessory prayer is prayer for others. One theologian defines intercession as, "holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God's intervention." Dallas Willard in his book, Hearing God said, “An intercessor is the contacting link between the source of power and the objects needing that power and life.”
Jesus sets a model of intercessory prayer as recorded in John 17. In this beautiful prayer, Jesus stands before God to intercede on the behalf of others. In this prayer, Jesus prayed for the protection, sanctification, commission, and consecration of others.
Intercessory prayer is unselfish in nature. It is the expression of deep love and concern for others. Theologian, John Calvin said, “To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.” Prayer is not meant to be selfish or self-centered. Prayer is a way that we can make a significant contribution to the lives of others. Who are you praying for these days?
I am reminded of the story about a little child who got in trouble one night at home. He had been sent to his room because he had been bad. A short time later he came out and said to his mother, "I've been thinking about what I did and I said a prayer." "That's fine," she said, "If you ask God to make you good, He will help you." "Oh, I didn't ask Him to help me be good," replied the boy. "I asked Him to help you put up with me." Praying for others can take on many forms.
Scripture makes it clear that we are to pray for others. I Thessalonians 5:25 says, “Brothers, pray for us.” In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.” I Timothy 2:1. James wrote, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may; be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Who are you praying for? Your prayers for others can make a significant difference. Who will you intercede for in prayer today?
DAY 4 – April 1, 2010
TITLE: “SO WE CAN KNOW HIM WHO IS TRUE”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “We know also 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-even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” I John 5:20
In his classic book on the attributes of
God, Arthur Pink said, “An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped.” The
better we know Him, the more we will trust Him and serve Him. It is my personal
hunger and burning passion to know God better.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 states, “This
is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise
man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man
boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands
and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and
righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.”
To know God means more than just to know facts and stories about Him. A casual familiarity with God tends toward a superficial and shallow relationship that never touches the depths of the soul. A theoretical knowledge of God in the mind can leave the desert of the soul untouched by the refreshing rains of His presence. Author Henry Blackaby said, “You will never be satisfied just to know about God. Really knowing God only comes through experience as He reveals Himself to you.”
God is the true God. As we look at the God of the Old Testament, we discover a God that led the people to complete monotheism, which ruled out the possibility of the existence of other gods. Exodus 15:11 –13 says, "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them. In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.” There is no other power in heaven or on earth that needs to be considered. All of our attention belongs to Him, for He is the true God.
You and I can know the true God through Jesus, the Son of God. John is saying in this scripture that Jesus is the Son of God who has come and given us understanding so we can know God. Jesus said, “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. Through Jesus we can know that we know God and are in Him. Do you know the true God? Take a few moments to reflect on these words from the Apostle Paul. He said, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11.
DAY 5 – April 2, 2010
TITLE: “KEEP YOURSELVES FROM IDOLS”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” I John 5:21
Today we come to the end of our journey through I John. Founder of the
Contemporary writer and preacher Chuck Swindoll said of I John, “there are deep waters there.” I trust that you have personally found the study through I John helpful to your own relationship with God.
We have looked at many doctrines of truth that have been treated concisely and clearly in the book of I John. Theologian and Bible commentator, William Barclay said, “The Christian message can be summed up as having two great aims-love for men and love for God which are both central in I John.” Author Robert Law, saw in this Epistle, three tests of life: 1.) The theological test, whether we believe that Jesus is the Son of God; 2.) The moral test, whether we are living lives of righteousness; 3.) The social test, whether we have love, one for the other.
The book of I John begins with a message about Jesus using a variety of descriptive words. The book of I John now closes with crucial words of warning for our lives today.
It is John’s heart that all of his readers listen carefully to his final warning.
No one else can take care of your own spiritual soul. Every Christian must take responsibility for their own spiritual welfare. John is calling us to take responsibility to guard our hearts and lives and keep ourselves from idols. Christians must keep themselves from idols or anything that is a substitute, they need God in their lives in order to keep themselves wholly unto God. An idol is anything that squeezes God out of the center position towards the margin of my life.
Life is filled with choices. Setting boundaries can help to guard the choices you make and keep you from idols. Saying yes to God requires saying no to other things that get in the way of loving and serving God with all of your heart, soul, body, and mind. Ask God to help you through His powerful Spirit to keep yourself from idols or anything thing that gets in the ways of loving, serving, and worshiping God completely.