Beware

Jude 20

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal live.

John closes his letter with a vivid description of the ungodly who seek to bring the Christian down. They blaspheme what they do not understand, are destroyed by all they are, unreasoning animals who understand only instinctively. They are hidden reefs at your love feasts. They blend in so well that they are hard to spot, and consequently, take unsuspecting people down with them. They are shepherds who feed themselves, water-less clouds [have no substance], swept along by winds [ each new thing that comes along], fruitless trees in late fall, twice dead, uprooted, wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame, wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness is reserved.

What is God's plan for these people? He will send 10,000 of His holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an u ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. No mercy whatsoever! They are grumbling malcontents, following their own sinful desires, loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. How scary is this! These types of people will be in the majority in the end times. Scoffers who follow their ungodly passions causing division, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. The description is so manifold it seems like we would be hard-pressed not to spot them, but I must remember they are hidden reefs waiting to take down the unwary.

Am I just to live in fear? No, on the contrary. I am to build myself up in my faith, praying in the Spirit, keeping myself in the love of God as I wait for the mercy of Jesus to call me home. I am to focus on Jesus and His words as opposed to thinking about these ungodly. Knowing is to be forewarned, but growing is to be armed ready to defend. John encourages me to show mercy to doubters and do all I can to snatch them from the fire showing mercy. I am to hate the garments stained with sin but to reach out in love to the sinner. 

Wow! what a powerful ending that can only be followed by a powerful benediction. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Father,

Open my eyes to spot the evil so that You might use me to grab someone being sucked in and so that I can be safe as well. Lord, keep me from stumbling. I want to be ready when You call me home so that I can praise Your name with all that is Yours:  glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Foot Washing

Jn. 13:15-16

For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master.

Jesus knew His time was short, and that His Father was in control of all things even Satan and the heart of Judas. At the Passover Feast with His disciples, Jesus rose to take off His outer garments and picked up a towel. Filling a basin with water, He began washing His disciples feet and drying them with the towel. In typical Peter fashion, he asked why? Jesus told him that if He didn't do this, Peter would have no share in Him. Peter responded emphatically saying, Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head. His heart was one of unqualified love and commitment [sadly all to soon that would waver]. Jesus taught, The one who has bathed only needs his feet washed. Finally, He told them that not every one of you is clean [Judas]. Didn't they wonder about that statement? Wasn't the night getting stranger by the moment?

Getting His outer garment, Jesus sat down and taught them that He, their Lord and teacher, had washed their feet, and they should also wash each other's feet. Jesus set the example that must be followed.  Why?  Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master. There would be a blessing attached to obeying this command. However, Jesus was not speaking to all of them because He knew those He had chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.' I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. After Jesus had spoken, He was greatly troubled. 

What an example! Certainly one that speaks of complete humility, but also one that teaches that daily sin needs to cleansed. Our salvation is always in tact, but sin is ever crouching at our door. This reminds me of  James 5:16, Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Why this emphasis on others? Could it be that the shame that would result would make us hate the sin, or at the very least make us feel uncomfortable. On a positive not, I think this would cement the bonds of our fellowship and increase our prayers for one another. 

Father,

Thank You for Your Son, for salvation, and for growth. Open my eyes to what I should confess. Keep me humble before You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Contend

Jude 3

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 

What's in a name? In this case, a whole lot! The letter itself was addressed to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. Isn't it amazing that I could be beloved in God the Father? How truly transforming is this salvation that changes my entire being! God chose me from before the foundations of the world. I was a speck in His plan! Also, I am kept for Jesus as His bride at the wedding feast of the Lamb. How exciting will that day be! Still there's more. I am a joint-heir with Jesus adopted into the family of God. This is who I am and even though I am still in my body of flesh, I must contend for the faith. 

What does contend mean? I see images of holding fast, of allowing nothing to alter it from its inception in my life, and of battling. John warns the saints [believers] to battle, to be on guard for the enemy attack. In this case, the enemy came in unnoticed as ungodly people who perverted the grace of God. They could be people who advocated works over grace, people who used the Scriptures to support a false claim. But specifically they turned the grace of God into sensuality and denied Jesus Christ. Now that is bad! How could someone this bad come in unnoticed? I think it could only happen when believers were thinking the battle was over, when they were neglecting to watch and pray, or when they were tolerant of others to the degree that they ignored the warnings. The battle is never over until Jesus calls us home. We must constantly be on guard for these creepers!

Father,

Keep my eyes open to all that is around me. Spirit, help me contend for the faith. Help me see those who creep in unnoticed. Thank You for making me all that I am in You.You have blessed my life beyond measure.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Glory?

Jn. 12:43

for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. 

What a sad indictment! As John spoke of Jesus' earthly ministry, he knew that many did not believe even though they saw the miracles in person. What possible reasons could their be? First and foremost, John spoke of the prophecies in Isaiah concerning the Jews which stated that God had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. In God's sovereign will and plan, they were not to be saved. That is not for us to understand, but to accept. God said that our thoughts are not His, and our ways are not His. He shows mercy and compassion on whom He chooses not to and not on whom we choose. So definitely the plan and purpose was afoot in these situations. 

Secondly, many of the authorities believed in Him but were afraid of censure of the Pharisees. 

Sad that a group so powerful would keep people from Jesus! Whatever the reason for unbelief, unbelief is never justified. Unbelief is unbelief! Jesus said that if anyone would follow Him, he would have to deny himself and take up his cross and follow him... for whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in exchange for His soul? 

Finally, they did not believe because they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. Sadly, this is the the indictment of most men even of those who believe! This attitude creeps in without even being noticed. I need to check my heart regularly to make sure that I do not fall into that behavior. How unfaithful is the heart of man!

Father,

Keep my eyes open and my heart tender to care only about you. Help me to bring glory only to You. I love You. 

In Jesus name,

Amen

Final Words

1 Jn. 5: 20

And we know 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, In His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 

Jesus is the One true Son. He was born of water and blood. The Spirit testifies that He is. These are the three that testify: water [baptism], blood [death on cross], and the Spirit. There is no doubt! What man says is inconsequential! And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Cut and dried! No if's, and's or but's! John wants the believers to know and rest in the Jesus, in eternal life, and in answered prayer. We may be confident that if we ask according to His will, He Hears us, and if He hears us, He will answer. 

Finally, sin. There is a sin that leads to death, this sin is out-and-out rejection of Jesus, chronic disobedience of the Word, and lack of love for other believers.What a state must this be! For the one whose sins are forgiven Jesus is living within them. Their heart is one of obedience and love for other members of the body of Christ. Anyone who is born of God can not going on willfully sinning. In fact the opposite is true. Anyone who is of God has God's protection and the evil one can not touch Him [even though the whole world lie under his control]. What a glorious state is the believer's! 

And we know 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, In His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 

Thank You Jesus! What an assurance, a joy, a future, a protection, an answer to all my needs and my prayers. Help me to see You within, to listen to You, and to Love You more and more each day.

In Your name,

Amen

Statements

1 Jn. 5: 5

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The first 5 verses of I Jn. 5 seem to be loaded with ideas essential to my walk with God. They are:

1- Believing in Jesus Christ means that I have been born of God. Why? Because Jesus is the One that the Father sent to bridge the gap between God and man. He is the One who died shedding His blood that I might live. 

2- Everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him. Why? Because the love that has been poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit is no run-of-mill earthly love. Instead it is the supernatural love of God that has taken up residence in my life and in my heart so that I might love other believers. God's love will always seek out and love God's love in someone else.  

3. We know we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. Why? Because His commandments teach me to love others. So it falls logically that if I love God and obey His word that I will love the other children of God. But when the word is neglected then my love is weakened.

4-This is the love of God that we keep His commandments. Why? Because His word is who He is. The word not only teaches me about God, but it gives me a relationship with God. His love is poured into my life so that I might bring glory to His name. How better to do that than through obedience to His words?

5- His commandments are not burdensome.Why? Because we cannot keep them in our own strength. Impossibility! But when we operate in faith and through grace, then it is a different story. Then they become the joy and rejoicing of my life. Then they are not a burden.

6- Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. Why?  Because Jesus has overcome the world, and He lives in me. He is my victory over the world! He makes me an overcomer!

7- Faith is the victory that has overcome the world. Why? Because faith is not a human quality or device. Faith is a gift of God, a gift that He has given to me in salvation, but not only for salvation but also for sanctification. 

8-The over-comer is the one who believes in Jesus. Why? because identifying with Jesus means that all He has achieved is mine. I can overcome my flesh, the world, and all that that entails through Jesus. 

What a powerful paragraph! So much! How blessed I am!

Father,

Thank You for choosing me to be Your child, for giving me Your word, for giving me an obedient spirit, for giving me faith, and for giving me victory over the world.

In His name,

Amen

Love

1 Jn. 3:7

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 

It is exciting to me that love is the key issue in my relationship with God. He reached down in love to me, and now I must reach out to others in love. This love also proves I have been born again, and that I know Him. God's greatest act of love was sending His only Son to earth as the propitiation for my sins so that  I might live and love through Him. What love the Father has given us!

If we abide in God and He in us, then His love is perfected in us. If we confess that Jesus is the son of God, then God abides with us. It is through Jesus that we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment because as He is so also are we in this world. 

Love casts out fear! How? Why? Normally I would fear someone or something because I think people will be judging me. But God has eliminated this fear because there is no judgment in love. In the same way, I must not judge others [saying I hate them.] because God's love has transformed me so that I am a different person. Yet, I am still here in a body of flesh, flesh that has all manner of negative things in it. So these great truths are life and hope to me. They are my guide and my enabling. God doesn't call me to anything without giving me what I need to do it. The final word is And this is the commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Father,
Transform my heart so that it unites with Yours. I ask that Your grace would be my strength as well as my love. I am yours make me what You want to be.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Test the Spirits

1 Jn. 4: 6

We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

John warns believers to test the spirits to see if they are from God. Many may claim to be, but are not, instead they are deceiving counterfeits. So how? By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. It seems to be straight forward. What do you say about Jesus Christ? The spirits that fail this acid test are spirits of the antichrist. In John's time, this deadly spirit was in the world, and so much more now. What is this antichrist spirit waiting for? The time that God has set in place. I love it! This deadly, heinous spirit can only function when God says. All things are the servants of God even this one!

John then speaks to the little children [perhaps those who are newer in the faith, but I am sure this is a reminder for all] reminding them that He who is in them, the Holy Spirit is greater than the spirit in the world. People in the world respond to this evil spirit because that is where their heart is. The converse is true as well. The Spirit that is from God is only heard by those whose hearts are His.  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. So clear! 

Father,

Thank You for the Holy Spirit. His role in my life is so multi-faceted. You have given me all that I need. Open my ears and my mind so that I may listen carefully to Him, and then give me grace and strength to stand in the face of unbelieving spirits.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Love

1 Jn. 3:18

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

The message we have heard from the beginning is love. By its very nature love never fails or changes. It will endure because love is of God. How blessed we are because His love has been poured in our hearts through the Holy Spirit! Certainly there are some corrupt versions of love in the world and even in the church which is why John is writing. He warns that the world will hate us because we have eternal life, and the great evidence of eternal life is love.  

But how do we know how to love? We look at the example of Jesus who loved sacrificially and to the point of death. When we see a need, as Jesus saw our need, and if we meet that need in love, then our words will be seen in our actions. By love, we shall know that we are of the truth because we will love as Christ loved. 

And this love must grow into obedience to all that Jesus said. When we love in deed and in truth, and keep His commandments, we know that this is pleasing to Him. But if and when sin creeps into our lives, and conviction follows close on its heels, we can still believe and have faith in God because love makes forgiveness possible. Hearts full of the love and forgiveness can ask what they will and receive because they keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. We do not ask out of selfish motives or for our advantage, but we ask with the mind of Christ, a mind set on pleasing Him. 

And this is the commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us. Whoever keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in Him. And by this we know that He abides in us, but he Spirit whom He has given. 

Father,

Thank You for such great love. I want to be obedient and pleasing to You. I want to share Your love with those You bring into my life.

Evidence

1 Jn. 3:10

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil; whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 

John begins the third chapter with a glorious verse: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The Father's love changes a person from the inside out. Instead of children of the devil, we become children of God. It is because of the Father's love that He has poured into our hearts through His Spirit that our lives are impacted. This is not reformation but transformation. When we see Jesus, when He comes to call us home, then we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is. This is our glorious hope and our purification! 

Since our transformation isn't complete until Jesus comes, how does it look now? It comes down to two opposing views on sin. Whoever practices sin, is not of God, but is of the devil for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. In fact, Jesus appeared to destroy the works of the devil. Not only did Jesus defeat Satan, but He gave new life to those who were lost and under the bondage to Satan. Since Jesus has defeated Satan, there is no reason that a child of God should practice sin. More than this, it is an impossibility! If we are born again, God's seed is within us and His seed produces righteousness. If someone tries to tell you differently, he is a deceiver. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil; whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God...

Father, 

Open my eyes so that I may see clearly the sin within my life. I know that I do not practice sin, but I fall to sin more than I should. Give me Your wisdom that I might spot Satan as He tries to take me down.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Warning

2 Pet. 2:26-27

I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in Him.

John tries to warn the believers about antichrists who will appear in the end times [many]. The people who had left them are not of them but are antichrists, that in itself is confusing. These people used to be one of them. Who does one believe? There should be no confusion. Those who remained have been anointed by the Holy One and live in the realm of truth and knowledge. The antichrists deny both the Father and the Son.

John exhorts them to keep what they were taught from the beginning and to abide in this teaching. If they do, then they too will abide in the Son and in the Father.  And this is the promise Jesus made to us, eternal life. John's purpose is to undo the confusion caused by these false teachers. Believers must know that the anointing they received will abide just as He abides in you. There is no need for anyone else to teach you. His anointing will teach you everything about the Truth. It is no lie! Remember abide in Him.   

When I think of abiding, I think of Jn 15. We are clean by the word that Jesus spoke to us. So then we must abide in Him [live, dwell, continue in a daily, personal relationship with Him] as He abides in us. This is so important that we must safeguard it constantly. Why? Because apart from Him, we can do nothing. Safety comes in abiding.

Father,

Teach me how to abide more and more each day. Help me to shut the door to wall that is false.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Faithfulness

Lam. 3:22

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 

In chapter 3 we read about a man who was enduring extremely hard times. He was greatly afflicted in body and soul, alone, in darkness, and without peace. But still he knew a very important truth. He knew that God was faithful and that His love and mercies were new every morning. What an example! When times were hard, he remembered what was true about God without any doubt. He claimed the promises of God as his own. The Lord was his portion, therefore he would hope in God. He knew that the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. He knew that it was good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. But knowing all these things did not eradicate the pain, but it did give him hope. With hope, much can be endured. 

He also understood a very important truth. Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? God was the author of all that was happening in His life. Though God had cast him off now, he would not cast off forever. Though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love. What was the proper response to what was happening in his life? Should he blame God for this treatment and become bitter? No, he wanted to test and examine his ways, and return to the Lord! He wanted to lift up his heart and hands to the God of the heavens. From the pit  he called on the name of God. He knew that God would hear and listen. And God did come near when he called and had taken up his cause. God had redeemed his life.

So when the bad times comes [and they will because that is life.], I need to remember what is true about God. I need to cling to His promises and cry out to Him. Secondly, I need to examine my life looking closely to see what God is seeing. Being bitter, depressed, and full of self-pity accomplishes nothing. I need to remember that He is faithful and His love and mercies are new every morning.

Father,

You are the author of life. All things are Your servants. In all affliction, You are the constant. You are the same everyday as are Your mercies and Your steadfast love. Open my eyes to see what you would have me see. 

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Advocate

1 Jn. 2: 1

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 

The purpose of this letter is to prevent sin from happening in our lives. The problem is that obedience is a growing commodity for believers, but not a once-for-all commodity. Because of this John states a glorious truth. We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Jesus Christ Himself pleads our case before the Father. He can do that because He is the propitiation [a sacrifice that bears God's judgment and has turned it to favor] for sin. He is the one true righteous One whom the Father sent to bridge the gap between Himself and humanity. 

In keeping with the truth thus far developed, we should not desire to sin, but if we do, we have an advocate. Now comes another add-on. We can be assured that we know Him if we keep His commandments. Obedience proves ownership! Then another add-on, if believers say we know Him but deny disobedience, then we are a liar with no truth is in us. What is John saying? He knows that we will sin because we have a sin nature on board as long as we are earth-bound. Is he warning about sin's power or reminding us of the potential for sin before Jesus calls us home? Whatever his motive, he is concerned that we are not confessing and are allowing sin to fester in our lives...but whoever keeps His word, in Him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked. At the same time we must be honest about admitting sin, as well as vigilant about walking in the same way that He walked. 

Father,

I confess my willfulness and stubborn pride. Jesus, be my advocate. Strengthen my faltering steps so that I may walk in Your footsteps. Spirit, guide and lead me.

In the name of my Advocate,

Amen

Confession and Forgiveness

1 Jn. 4

And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

John as a living apostle, one who had seen and heard Jesus in the flesh, wrote this epistle to the believers so that we [like those who have gone before] may have fellowship with the Father, the Son, and one another. Knowing, believing, and living this life will complete our joy. Just as John wrote in his gospel concerning joy, he stresses it again. Jesus is the only way to joy! Jesus is the only way to have fellowship with the Father who is the source of true joy. 

John declared that this message he was proclaiming he heard from Jesus. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  It is impossible to walk with Jesus and walk in darkness, and if we claim that this is true, we are liars. Light by its nature banishes darkness! But if we claim we walk in light, our fellowship with the Father, Jesus, and other believers is a reality, and His blood cleanses us from all sin. How glorious is this fact! 

Even though we are cleansed from sin [singular meaning our sin nature and enslavement to that nature], we still have our body of flesh with us. This flesh is prone to fall and sin, but the wonderful thing is that we can confess and be forgiven. If we claim to be free from sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us. Admitting our sin and seeking repentance and forgiveness is an essential part of our daily life. Why would someone not  confess? Pride would be at the very root of the issue. Justifying what we have done and not looking at it in the lens of Jesus. Our friendship with the world could be so strong that our spiritual vision is clouded. What does our heart reveal? Do I notice my sin or does it happen without even a thought? Am I ignorant of the sin? Am I in the word like I should be? Or is my heart so hard that I care more for the things of the world and that the things of Jesus are inconsequential? Jesus is not an add-on. A life with Him is all or nothing. 

Father,

As I read this chapter this morning, I see how black and white sin is, light and darkness. I confess my many times where I have indulged my flesh, when I have clung to some darkness because I felt justified. Strengthen my vision so I can see clearly Your light. Help me not to live in the shadows at all.

In the Name of the Light,

Amen

The Unrighteous

2 Pet. 2:9-10

then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defining passion and despise authority.

Why would it be important to know identifying characteristics of the ungodly? If I don't know who the enemy is, how can I protect myself? This passage lays it out pretty clearly. Why so much about these people? I think it is because they can manifest themselves themselves in so many ways. I need to be aware of all their methods if I am to stand strong in the power of Jesus.

• Indulge in the lust of defiling passion [ It's never a good thing when passion takes charge.]
• Despise authority [This is rampant in so many people.]
• Bold and willful, they do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones [Isn't this our society? Nothing is sacred. What is evil has become the accepted norm.]
• Irrational animals, creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed
• Blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant [Especially about God, the Bible,  believers and their faith.]
• Will be destroyed in their destruction,  suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime.
• They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions while they feast with you. [How scary! They could be in our churches waiting for the right time to take someone down.]
• Eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin [This has become acceptable even in Christian circles.]
• They entice unsteady souls. [That is why I need to know how they appear.]
• Their hearts are trained in greed. [Greed is everywhere, even greed for evil.]
• Accursed children
• Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. [Lost themselves.]
• Followed the way of Balaam who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression, a donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet. [Making a profit anyway they can, there is no integrity.]
• Waterless springs and mists driven by a storm.
• The gloom of utter darkness is reserved for them.
• Speak loud boasts of folly, enticing by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who lived in error.
• Promise freedom but they are enslaved to corruption [This is big. they always offer freedom when it is actually enslaving sin.]
• If they had escaped the defilements of the world through Jesus Christ and they are again entangled, then the last state is worse than the first. [Their final end is so scary.]

Thank You Jesus for saving my soul, for redeeming from such a horrible end. Help me to see clearly and to rely on You for wisdom. I see the danger in relying on myself.

In His name,

Amen

False Teachers

2 Pet. 2: 9-10

...then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

False teachers, those who pervert the gospel of Jesus and tread underfoot the glory of God, will have the judgment of God! What exactly do false teachers teach? Their arena includes destructive heresies, denying the Master, sensuality, blasphemers of the way of God, exploiters using false words. Those phrases sound horrible, but their end will be much worse. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. God will have the final word!

Peter goes on to explain that God's judgment should never be doubted. If he did not spare the sinning angels but cast them out committing them to chains of darkness to be kept for the judgment day, and if he didn't spare the world in Noah's day, but preserved Noah and His family, and if he turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, but rescued Lot, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly and judge the ungodly. For an example, we can look to Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were reduced to ashes and extinction. His word and His plan with not be thwarted. 

Father,

This is an encouragement to me. As I look at my world, I do see the unrighteous getting free rein. It seems as if the blasphemy against Your words will not stop, but I know that You will return and call me home to You. What a hope You have given me.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Growth

2 Pet. 1:5-7

For this reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 

These qualities are the desires and features of a transformed heart not the qualities of someone who seeks salvation. Salvation is by faith and grace alone, and it's vertical in nature coming from God to man. To what does for this reason refer? It refers to the fact that God has granted His precious and very great promises to believers so that we could be partakers of the divine nature. It is through them that we have been granted everything that pertains to life and godliness.

How does this work? How do we access  everything that pertains to life and godliness? Certainly the very great and precious promises must be the foundation for growing in these qualities. In addition the Holy Spirit must be on board since many of these are His fruit in the life of a believer. Each quality is essential for growth, but the crown of them all is love. The greatest of these is love. If we meditate on these qualities and pray asking the Spirit and the Father to grant us these evidences of salvation in our lives, then the rest is up to us. We must desire them above all. And why would we do this? Because they keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. What Christians have as their goal to be ineffective and unfruitful? It is ludicrous to even say this! Yet by looking at lives, it appears to be so. If we are lacking in these qualities, we are so nearsighted that we are blind. We have forgotten our salvation, our cleansing from sin. Therefore [in light of all this] be all the more diligent to make your calling and elections sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.  I notice the world is practice. It is not accomplished the first time. It is a lifetime of growth until Jesus calls us home. These precious and very great promises give us the ability and the power to live out these qualities providing us an entrance to the kingdom of Jesus! Sounds simple, but not so! Think about the meaning of each of these qualities. Even that is overwhelming let alone the living out of them. Perhaps the reason there so many is because it reminds us from the get-go we can not accomplish these things in our own strength. It must be all of God working through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Father,
Teach me through Your Holy Spirit. Spirit, take me down a path that will grow me into Your virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly love, and love. I want these in my life. I need your wisdom to operate in my weakness.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Precious and Very Great Promises

2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him, who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

The word of God [His divine power] is so powerful that it contains all that I need for life and godliness. Immediately, I think that life and godliness are all that I would need. But how does this happen? What is the process? God has granted me [given] His precious and very great promises. Why? So that I might become a partaker of the divine nature. When? I believe it began  at salvation because this is the point at which God's love poured into my heart and life through the Holy Spirit. Salvation was a total God-to-man process. I brought nothing to the table, but I gained everything in return. In keeping with the idea that salvation was not works oriented [ lest any man should boast], His precious and very great promises are given to me so that I might become a partaker of the divine nature. They are God-given in response to His call to me, a call for His own glory and excellence. How is this even possible? Only because I have escaped the corruption in the world!  My flesh is still  with me seeking to undermine me in 'so many ways', but I am changed in all those 'so many ways'. My flesh may be responsive to the world but not imprisoned to its powers. I belong to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He has become my life. His precious and very great promises are there for me to grow me in the Spirit and shrink me to the world. Thank You, Jesus!

Father,

What a gift! my heart cries out thanks to You. You have given me so much, and I do so very little. But I understand that that is what You want. I realize that I can do nothing for You. You drew me   for salvation and then gave me the strength to accept. The gulf that separates us is only from God to man. The only way that I can bring glory to You is to rely totally on Your precious and very great promises. Help me to do this. Give me the grace to obey.Work in my weakness. 

In Jesus name,

Amen

Humility

1 Pet. 5:5

Likewise you who are younger, be subject to your elders. Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.

When I think of 'clothe', I think of a garment that covers my body. Many times it can cover so well that none of my face or hands even show. If someone were to look at me, they would not be able to tell who I was unless I were to speak. In a spiritual sense, my outward appearance could reflect humility in that I wouldn't try and bring attention to myself, but the true test would be in what I said or thought. Since no one can see my thoughts, speaking humility would be the true test. This is a hard thing to do because as soon as I would have it mastered, I would be taking pride in my humility. 

Yet still I see that it is of prime value to God. He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Of course this was true at salvation where I humbled myself admitting my great need for a Savior. It was then that the grace began to flow. If pride is my shadow, then I need to do some constant confessing and repenting. Immediately after these two verses, it says casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.  Here I see a clear connection between pride and anxiety. Anxiety or worry is stressing over what a person cannot control. Even though it appears to be different, it really is an inverted form of pride. This person cannot let go of a situation [or whatever it is]. They feel they must control it all instead of giving it to God in humility admitting their need. Am I hanging on to things that I think I can control? Am I giving it all to God?

Father,

If and when I hang on to control, reveal it to me. Help me to come to You always for all that I need.

In His name,

Amen

For His Glory

1 Pet. 3:10-11

As each has received a gift use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen

Peter is answering a very important question. How does one practically live out his or her Christian life? As a basis for the practical, Peter develops the thinking of the Christian. A believer must think the way that Christ did [Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus.] in respect to suffering. That is through suffering in the flesh we learn the will of God.[Following the example of Christ who suffered til death.] The time has long since past when the passions of the faith ruled our lives. [sensuality, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry] These passions should not be seen in a believer's life, instead the gospel has provided us a way to live in the spirit as God does. Our new life! 

In light of our salvation coupled with the shortness of time we should be:

• self-controlled and sober minded
• Above all, love one another earnestly [so important is love!]
• Be hospitable without grumbling
• Use spiritual gifts to serve one another
• When speaking, speak the oracles of God
• When serving, serves by the strength that God supplies

And why do we live like this? ...in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen I have often heard believers express their confusion at knowing the will of God. Yet the Bible speaks clearly about how a believers life should look. In this short passage we have 6 things that should be incorporated into our lives not in our own strength but in the strength that only God supplies.

Father,

Teach me how to obey in the strength that You supply. I have often memorized these verses and meditated on them, yet still they are not a complete reality in my life. Perhaps this is to keep me constantly depending on You. Help me. Bring the things that I have studied to my mind.

In Jesus name,

Amen