DAY 1 – March 8, 2010

TITLE: “WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:1-6

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:1

KEY VERSE: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I John 4:1

Montreal teen jazz sensation, Nikki Yanofsky, landed the No.1 spot on the iTunes Canada playlist - with the official broadcast theme song for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The title of the song is, “I Believe”. She said, "It's a song about believing in your dream.” Through the years, there have been numerous songs, poems, advertising campaigns, and slogans written with the title, “I Believe”.

In this passage, John reminds us that what we believe matters. What we believe determines what we are and what we become. When our beliefs are confused, our lives reflect confusion. When our beliefs are unclear, our lives become unfocused and unclear spiritually. Some have wrongly said it does not really matter what you believe as long as you believe in something. The reality is that it does matter what you believe.

With great love for the church, John writes to strengthen the church by strengthening its beliefs. A church is strong when what it believes is strong and true. John was concerned about the Christians and the danger of their being pulled in all directions by distorted beliefs and loyalties. The Apostle Paul wrote with the same concern to the church of the Ephesians where he wrote about the body of Christ being built up. He concluded, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:14

We must be careful about what we believe, for there are a lot of false beliefs and misunderstandings of the truth. John’s solution consists of the warning not to believe every spirit. Christians must discern what is of God and what is not. With much religious clutter and confusion, there is an urgent need for discernment among Christians. His admonition to the church then, and to us, is to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Don’t take what you believe lightly. We must know who we believe and what we believe. Can you say with the apostle Paul, “…I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” II Timothy 1:12

DAY 2 – March 9, 2010

TITLE: “THE INCARNATION”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:1-6

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:2-3

KEY VERSE: “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” I John 4:2

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often, he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time, he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then, he left. Later, he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, "I am your king!" The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn't. Instead, he said, "You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!" The incarnation is about God, the King of kings, giving Himself to us.

Author, Gary Bowell told of a father putting his four-year-old son to bed. Having finished prayers, stories, and all the little bedtime things, he kissed his son and turned off the light. His son started sobbing, "Don't leave me. I'm scared and don't want to stay here alone." The father tried to encourage the little boy by reminding him of God's presence and of the fact that they had just had devotions. The little boy said, "I want somebody with skin on." This is the great message of the Incarnation! Jesus came in flesh!

The term, incarnation refers to the eternal Son of God’s being enfleshed as Jesus of Nazareth. It refers to how God, the Son became man through the Virgin Mary and lived some 33 years in Palestine. As one Theologian said, “It is the time when God, through the Son pitched His tent among us.” As John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Reflecting on I John 4:2, some have commented that Jesus refers to His human nature and Christ to His divine nature and, thus, the two together become the expression of the Incarnation. It is said that one-fifth of the world's population watched the television broadcast of the first man setting foot on the moon. This was an incredible achievement. However, something even more astonishing and significant happened when God set foot on earth in Jesus Christ. Bible Commentator, Dr. Harvey Blaney wrote, “The incarnation is the essential creed of Christianity; on this doctrine all else which calls itself Christian stands or falls.”

DAY 3 – March 10, 2010

TITLE: “GREATER IS HE”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:1-6

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:4

KEY VERSE: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” I John 4:4

Over 20 years ago, Bill and Janny Grein, wrote a simple little chorus they titled, “More Than Conquerors.” The chorus reads, “We’ve been made more than conquerors, overcomers in this life. We’ve been made victorious through the blood of Jesus Christ.” The words of this little chorus are words of hope and victory for the Christian. We are called to be overcomers in this life. We are overcomers because of His love. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Yes, there is a reason you can overcome the challenges of faith today. Yes, there is a reason you can overcome falsehood and spiritual conflict. Yes, there is a reason you can overcome the grip of the world. It is not because you are determined or wise. The reason you can overcome today is not because you are a part of a great church or have a good Christian upbringing. The reason you can overcome today is not because you are a nice person or because you have a good personality. The reason you can overcome today is not because you have a lot of religious knowledge. The reason you can overcome today is that the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

The Lord is the source of victory. You do not have to overcome the enemy of your soul by your own power or will power. The One who is in you is more than enough for all the challenges you will face today. Back in 1973, Lanny Wolfe wrote a song adapted from this passage. As you read the words, I would encourage you to reflect on the phrase, “Greater is He that is in me”. Yes, whatever you are facing today, “Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the World”.

“Greater is He that is in me, Greater is He that is in me

Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.

Satan’s like a roaring lion, roaming to and fro

Seeking whom he may devour, The Bible tells me so.

Many souls have been His prey, to fall in some weak hour

But God has promised us today, His overcoming power.

Greater is He that is in me, Greater is He that is in me

Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.”

DAY 4 – March 11, 2010

TITLE: “WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:1-6

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:5

KEY VERSE: “They are from the world, and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.” I John 4:5

Who are you listening to these days? The people we listen to can often shape our viewpoint and perspective. When we listen to the world, we can quickly develop a worldly viewpoint. The view of the world is from the world and is not the view of those who walk in the light of truth. In contrast with the world's view, is the view that comes from God and His Word. Who and what are you listening to?

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27. Are you tuned into the Lord and listening to Him? Robert W. Herron wrote, “Good listening is like tuning in a radio station. For good results, you can listen to only one station at a time. Trying to listen to my wife while looking over an office report is like trying to receive two radio stations at the same time. I end up with distortion and frustration. Listening requires a choice of where I place my attention. To tune into my partner, I must first choose to put away all that will divide my attention. That might mean laying down the newspaper, moving away from the dishes in the sink, putting down the book I'm reading, or setting aside my projects.”

Are you tuned into the Lord today or are you finding yourselves distracted by the voices of the world? There are a lot of voices in the world, but there is only one voice that can give you the viewpoint of truth. There is only one voice that can lead you down the right path. Only God can show you the path of truth. Who are you listening to?

In the book of I Samuel, we read the story of Samuel’s call from the Lord. One evening, Samuel was lying down in the temple when he heard a voice. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” He ran to Eli the priest thinking it was he who had called him. Eli sent him back to lie down again, saying he did not call. Again, Samuel heard the call and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Eli said again, “I did not call, so go back and lie down.” This happened again and Eli realized it was the Lord calling him. When the Lord called again, Samuel answered the Lord, “…Speak, for your servant is listening.” I Samuel 3:10.

Who will you listen to today? Who you listen to will determine your viewpoint and direction. Will you open up the word of God today and say, “Lord, your servant is listening, speak to me?” Say no to the voices of the world today and tune into the Lord. Will you say today, “Speak Lord, for I am listening to You”?

DAY 5 – March 12, 2010

TITLE: “THIS IS HOW WE RECOGNIZE”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:1-6

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: I John 4:6

KEY VERSE: “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” I John 4:6

The story is told that one day the great Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo happened to overhear a group of people admiring his Pieta, a statue of Christ on his mother's knees after His death on the cross. One man attributed the work to another sculptor, much to the chagrin of Michelangelo, who took particular pride in the Pieta. Returning to the sculpture after dark that evening, Michelangelo carved his name on it so that no similar mistake would occur in the future. He wanted it to be very clear and easily recognized that the Pieta was his work and that it belonged to him.

The writer of I John wants the church to easily recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. With the phrase, “This is how we recognize” or literally, “by this,” he returns to the opening theme of this section, found in the early verses of this chapter. The statement refers to all of the previous instruction, including the necessity of testing the spirits by their acknowledgement that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and is from God. All the differences pointed out in these verses are designed to help the community of believers to discern and distinguish the Spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.

The Spirit of truth is not accepted or known by the world. Speaking of the Spirit of truth,, John writes, “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:17. The Spirit of truth testifies to the truth of Jesus. Pointing out the contribution the Spirit of Truth makes to our lives, John 16:13 says, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

In contrast to the Spirit of truth is the spirit of falsehood. The word used here speaks of error and deception and is an expression unique in the New Testament. It refers to the motivating force behind the deceivers who deceive themselves. Not only are they deceiving themselves, but they are trying to lead the community astray. The spirit of falsehood is the, “Spirit not from God”. In verse 3 of this chapter, John calls it the spirit of the antichrist and in verse 4, he describes it as the one who is in the world.

John’s heart is that the church will recognize what is true and of the Lord and what is false. The call is to listen to and cherish that which is true because it comes from God’s own Spirit of truth.