Devotionary

Latest Episodes:

Ep 212 – 1 John 3:11-24 PT 2 Jul 21, 2017

Show notes

In this second episode on 1 John, chapter three, verses 11-24 we'll be looking at two commands we have been given by God: Believe and love. We know what it means to believe. Belief was necessary for us to receive the gift of salvation offered by God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our belief in Jesus made our salvation possible. And we know that God expects us to love one another. But as well as we know these two things, we still struggle with doing them. Our belief in Christ can wax and wane. Our love for others can grow cold. But John would have us remember that these two commands: Believe and love others, are to be ongoing and forever increasing in our lives as followers of Christ. Over time, our belief in Him should grow stronger. Our confidence in who He is and what He has accomplished for us should expand the longer we serve Him. And our love for others should become an increasingly normal and natural part of our lives. These two things are commands, not suggestions. They are to be a non-negotiable part of who we are as followers of Christ. Belief is to be ongoing. Love for others is to be constantly increasing. Because we are sons and daughters of God.

Ep 210 – 1 John 2:28-3:10 PT 7 Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

This is the final episode on 1 John, chapter two, verse 28 through chapter three, verse 10. It's entitled, "We Shall Be Like Him" because John is going to discuss that great day when all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ will receive glorified bodies and enjoy a state of sinless perfection. That reality should be a huge motivating factor as we live on this planet, waiting for the future day. Our future glorification should inspire us to willingly cooperate with God's present sanctification of our lives. He is slowly, but surely transforming us into the likeness of His Son, as Paul so aptly puts it, from one degree of glory to another. We are not yet glorified. We still have these earthly bodies and our old sin natures. We experience pain and suffering, find ourselves susceptible to temptation and prone to sin. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and the body of Christ, we are being altered, from the inside out. One day that process will be complete and we will have the incredible joy of discovering that we are like Him, Jesus Christ, the one who saved us.

Ep 211 – 1 John 3:11-24 PT 1 Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

This is episode one looking at 1 John, chapter three, verses 11-24. It's entitled, "Walk the Talk" and takes a look at John's strong belief that who we are, as children of God, should impact all that we do. One of the outcomes of our faith in Christ that John has already stressed is brotherly love. We are to love one another. But it can't be lip service. It's not enough to SAY we love others. We must prove it by our actions. Our behavior should give evidence of our changed nature. Claiming to love others is not enough. We must actually live it out in real life with living, breathing human beings. Even those whom we find to be particularly unlovable. In fact, John goes so far as to say that our love should be sacrificial in nature, expressed in a willingness to die for a brother or sister in Christ, if necessary. Love is not optional for the believer. It comes with our new nature and is made possible by the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Love is something God produces in us. It is His very essence flowing to us and intended to flow from us. Love isn't meant to be horded but shared. It isn't meant to terminate on us, but to emanate from us to all those around us.

Ep 209 – 1 John 2:28-3:10 PT 6 Jul 18, 2017

Show notes

This is the sixth episode on 1 John, chapter two, verse 28 through chapter three, verse 10. It's called, "The Lure of Lawlessness" and will confront us with the ever-present danger we all face of giving in to a spirit of lawlessness or sin. For John, sin was more than just a singular act one commits in disobedience to God. It is a spirit of opposition to God. It is living your life in rebellion against the will of God. And, as far as John was concerned, those who made a practice of sinning, who lived in a habitual state of sin, were opposed to God. Their sin was lawlessness, living as if the laws of God did not even exist. And even believers can find themselves falling into the trap of lawlessness – if they do not abide in Christ. Without the power that comes from abiding in or remaining in Christ, we can fall prey to our own sin natures and become susceptible to the influences of the enemy. When we become unmoored or untethered from Christ, we find ourselves adrift in the current of life without any means of directing our course or navigating the dangers of life. That is why abiding is so important in the life of the believer.

Ep 208 – 1Joh n 2:28-3:10 PT 5 Jul 17, 2017

Show notes

This is episode five on 1 John, chapter two, verse 28 through chapter three, verse 10. It's entitled, "Abide and Accept" and deals with two things we must do if we are to experience the fullness of life that Jesus came to bring us. We must abide in Christ and accept who we are as children of God. Those two things, while simple sounding, are actually quite difficult for most of us as believers to pull off. In this life, there are so many other things in which we can abide or find rest. We can turn to materialism, affluence, pleasure and a host of things we think will sustain and satisfy us. But we are to abide in Christ. And in a world where personal identity seems to be confused and distorted by the lies of the enemy, God would have us find our identity in who we are as His children. He wants us to accept the reality of our designation as his son and daughters. Those two things will have a dramatic influence on our walk and keep us living in faithful submission to and dependence upon God all the days we live on this planet.

Ep 207 – 1 John 2:28-3:10 PT 4 Jul 16, 2017

Show notes

This is our fourth episode on 1 John, chapter two, verse 28 through chapter three, verse 10. It's entitled, "Seek and Destroy" and deals with our ongoing need to put to death the deeds of the flesh. For John, it's all about practicing righteousness. In other words, living a life in keeping with our new standing as sons and daughters of God. The very fact that we can choose to do what God considers as righteous is proof that we have His Spirit living within us. And one of the Spirit's primary roles in our lives is to expose the sin that remains so that we can confess it and receive full forgiveness for it. Paul would have us remember that we are engaged in an ongoing spiritual battle that pits us against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." We have an enemy that hates us and is out to destroy us. But we have a heavenly Father who loves us and is out to seek and destroy those remaining vestiges of sin lingering within us. We no longer have to live like mindless slaves, giving in to the temptations of the enemy and the passions of our old sin natures. We can practice righteousness, because we are children of God.

Ep 206 – 1 John 2:28-3:10 PT 3 Jul 15, 2017

Show notes

In this, our third episode on 1 John, chapter two, verse 28 through chapter three, verse 10, we'll be looking at John's words of encouragement related to a coming day when we will no longer have to struggle with sin any longer. I've called this episode, "The Best is Yet to Come" because John wants us to know that God's promise of eternal life comes with a guarantee of sinlessness. Sin will be done away with altogether. And at that point, we will not only be seen as righteous before God because of what Christ has done for us, we will actually be righteous. In every way. Our old sin natures will be done away with once and for all. And the point of all this, is that we should live with the promise of future sinlessness in mind. The joy of that day should give us the motivation to live in this day with a sense of determination – to live righteous lives – saying no to sin and yes to God's will for our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin, and we have new natures and the Holy Spirit's presence to help us. We can and should live righteous lives even now, as we wait for our future inheritance.

Ep 205 – 1 John 2:28-3:10 PT 2 Jul 14, 2017

Show notes

This is our second episode looking at 1 John, chapter two, verse 28 through chapter three, verse 10. It's entitled "The Sinless Sin Less." And more than just a clever play on words, this title reflects the reality of our new relationship with God made possible through faith in Jesus Christ. We have a newfound capacity to live righteous lives in a world filled with unrighteousness. We can live godly, even when we find ourselves living in the midst of a godless generation. Coming to faith in Christ is about far more than a guarantee of eternal life. That is the culmination of our faith journey. But it begins with the filling of the Holy Spirit and His empowering presence that makes it possible for us to live Christ-like lives right here, right now. But as John will point out, it is all based on our willingness to abide in Christ and allow His Spirit to work in us and through us. Sin is an ever-present possibility as long as we live in these earthly bodies. But we are no longer sinners by nature. We have been given a new nature and a new capacity to say yes to God and no to sin. As long as we abide.

Ep 204 – 1 John 2:28-3:10 PT 1 Jul 13, 2017

Show notes

This is the first of seven episodes on 1 John, chapter two, verse 28 through chapter 3, verse 10. I've entitled this episode, "Practice Does NOT Make Perfect." In this passage, John is going to drive home a very critical point that many of us as believers tend to overlook. It has to do with the source of our righteousness. For some reason, we tend to think righteousness is up to us. We know we are to live righteous lives. It's an expectation God has of us. But where we get confused and wander from the truth is when we believe our righteousness is up to us. John is going to accentuate our need for righteousness, but he is also going to remind us that it is a byproduct of our relationship with Christ, not something we manufacture on our own. And that is a very important distinction. Self-righteousness is self-defeating. On our own, we can't do the kinds of good works that God demands of us. And He has not asked us to pursue righteousness on our own. In fact, any righteousness we exhibit in our lives is simply proof of our relationship with Christ. It is Him working through us, not us working for Him.

EP 203 – 1 John 2:18-27 PT 7 Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

This will be our final episode on 1 John, chapter two, verses 18-27 and it's called, "When Love Gets Lost." The truth is, the body of Christ, the church, can be a difficult place to show love. Why? Because it's made up of people who, while saved, still happen to have sin natures that can cause disunity and dissension. As sinners, saved by grace, we can still hurt one another. We can sin against one another. But one of the things that should set us apart as those who have experienced the grace and mercy of God as expressed in the loving sacrifice of His Son, is our commitment to love one another. A failure to love is often a sign that we never truly experienced the love of God to begin with. If we claim to love Him, but refuse to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, John would say we don't have the love of God within us. Our inability to love others could be a symptom of our unsaved state. Coming to faith in Christ should produce within us a supernatural capacity to love as we have been loved: Sacrificially and selflessly. Expecting nothing in return.

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