Day 28                      The Necessity of Brotherly Love                                         

1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

             It is fitting to end our family devotions on this note.  Love is the most essential quality for any home.  Love bears all things,  believes all things,  hopes all things,  endures all things.  Love never fails.  There are families that do not experience this type of love,  but at least in the church,  we should experience a love that is unexplainable   (to know the love that passeth knowledge).  It is greater than anything in this world.  “Now abides faith, hope and love,   these three,  but the greatest of these is love.”  

         John exhorts the children to love one another.  Love is the central characteristic of God.  God not only shows love,  He is love.  If we belong to Him,  if we have been born into His family,  then this characteristic should sum up our lives.  Those who love God are born of God, and they are the ones who know God.  If a man does not love,  he does not know God. 

         Our church family knows who belongs to Christ by the way that we show love.  The world also judges us and sees the reality of our faith by the way that we love each other.

John 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

          If we are going to make an impact on this world,  then we must love one another in order to show the world the love of Christ.

          Today is Easter Sunday.  It is the last day of our 28 day devotions.  When Christ came to this earth,  he showed His love to His disciples. 

John 13:1  Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

He loved His own people.  When He entered Jerusalem at the end of His ministry he said,

Matthew 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

When He died on the cross,  Jesus showed that He loved the world. 

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

He also showed this world that He loved them; not because they were good or because they were lovely or loveable.  He loved them while they were sinners. 

Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We trust that you know the love of Christ, that you have received Christ as Savior.  If you have not put your trust in Christ,  why not do that this Resurrection Sunday?

Day27                      God’s kids,  the Devil’s kids  -  Who is stronger?                      4:4-6

1 John 4:4   Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

         Boys are different from girls.  Boys have to find our who is stronger.  Boys seem to always be competing in something.  They have to find out which things they are best at,  in which things that they are stronger.

         When I was a youth pastor,  my youth group would always challenge me to an arm wrestle,  to a race,  to a wrestling match.  There was one time I thought they were going to kill me by trying to get me under water.  It was what boys are like. 

          The world does not see the Lord.  They only see the natural things that are around them.  They don’t understand where we get our strength.  They call us names.  They make fun of us and they criticize us for being ignorant.  But for all of their attacks,  a child of the devil can never overcome a child of God.  We have a strength that they can’t understand.  Our strength is able to overcome the spirit of antichrist.  The one that dwells in us (the Holy Spirit), is greater than the one that dwells on this earth (the devil). 

         No Christian can be indwelt by a demon because all Christians have the Holy Spirit.  As Christians we can’t be controlled by the devil or his angels unless we give Him our permission.  We do not need to be afraid of the devil or his power.  We only need to fear the one that we pray to.  John wrote in the book of Revelation,

Revelation 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

          We are told and we are promised,  “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  The only possible way that we can overcome the devil is with a power that is greater than his.  Jesus said, 

Matthew 12:28  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

29  Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

          In that illustration we understand that since Jesus cast out demons,  He had to be stronger than the devil  (the strong man)  in order to spoil his house. Since we have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in us,  we have the power that created the universe,  the power that raised our Lord from the dead.  It is not our power,  but nonetheless,  it is available to us. 

Day 26                      God’s kids,  the Devil’s kids - How to tell them apart?   

1 John 4:1-6

             Counterfeiting is a greater problem in our country than every before.  Last year the Secret Service confiscated 261 million dollars in counterfeit currency.  At a McDonalds three young men ordered a Big Mac Meal and paid for their food with a twenty dollar bill one after another.  The one thing in common,  they all made the money on their own computer,  with their own scanners and ink jet printers.   The Secret service admits that even though 261 million was confiscated,  many more millions still exist in circulation because the paper is easy to purchase and the copies are so good with the latest technology that the money often is in circulation a long time before it is detected as counterfeit.

         In like manner,  the devil delights in making his children look very similar to the children of God.  They are found in most churches and in positions of leadership.  They are “good” people.  They talk the talk, and they live good lives.  Without the correct definition,  it is difficult for many church people to discern the difference between a child of God and a child of the devil.  I John gives this as a definition. 

1 John 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

         The difference is not in the knowledge of God. The difference is in the relationship with the Father.  A man who knows Jesus personally,  knows that He is God.  He has come in the flesh to pay for the sins of mankind,  and more specifically for me, for that man.  Christ died is history.  Christ died for me is salvation.

         My little brother used to have friends over for a meal all the time.  One boy in particular lived at our house more than at his own house.  Even though he ate the same food and sat at the same table,  he was not my father’s son.  He knew of my father,  but he did not have the relationship with my dad.  He could not address him as “dad.”  The difference is in the confession.  The difference is in the birth.  Have you truly been born again because you have received the death of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins?  Is your faith solely resting in Him or is it in your own goodness and works.  This is the “litmus test of Christianity.”

2 Corinthians 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

         His ministers are counterfeits of righteousness,  but the difference is “according to their works.”  Not just that they can not produce the works of the Holy Spirit,  but that they rely on their own works for their righteousness.

Romans 9:32  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

DDL  

Day 25- April 2

God’s  Plan

I John 3:5-10

     “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in him there is no sin.  Whoever abides in Him does not sin.  Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.  Little children, let no one deceive you.  He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.  In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

God’s plan is this: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

When we trust God’s plan and accept Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior, we now abide in Him.  When we abide in Him, we should no longer live in sin but in the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.  The general rule, then, is that the Christian does not habitually practice sin, and the person who does continually engage in sin has never come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

There is a reminder in verse 7 for “Little Children” of God to let no man deceive you into sinning.  The world, (The Devil), wants to convince us that it is no big deal to sin.  Everyone is doing.  We should want to fit in.  Well, that’s just not the truth!  We are to be set apart from the world.  We are to be different from the world.  We cannot serve two masters.  These are all truths from God and His Word.  Sin is incompatible with the Christian life as stated in 3:8 “He that commits sin is of the devil.”  Here again, we are talking a practice of sin.  Since sin finds its source in the devil, it is manifestly inconsistent for the believer to engage in its practice.  God’s child does not engage in the continual practice of sin because, by reason of his spiritual heredity, it is contrary to his nature.  In fact, John (in our passage) declares that he “cannot sin, because he is born of God” (3:9).  As a member of the family of God, may we be known by the characteristic practice of righteousness.  God’s plan = “do not sin.”

- GM

April 1- Day 24  
The Devils Plan

I John 3:4-7

“Whosoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.  And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in him there is no sin.  Whoever abides in Him does not sin.  Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.  Little children, let no one deceive you.  He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. - 1 John 3:4.           

The Devil’s plan is for us to sin.  Not just that one occasional sin, but for us to continue in sin.  In our passage for today, the apostle gives us reasons why sin is not compatible with the Christian life. 

The first concerns the sin nature, which is described as lawlessness.  The word “Sin” (3:4) refers to the transgression of the law.  The statement in verse 4 makes sin and lawlessness identical and interchangeable.   In other words, anyone who commits sin acts in defiance of God’s Holy law.  Lawlessness does not refer to the mere ignorance of the law but rather it speaks of action in direct opposition to the law.  John uses the Greek present tense verb when he speaks of committing sin, in other words – continually in sin.  Inasmuch as sin is in violation of the law of God, it should not be a characteristic of one of God’s children.  It is inconsistent for a member of God’s family to practice sin. 

The second reason why sin is incompatible with Christian life concerns the person and work of Christ (3:5-7).  We are told that “He was manifested to take away our sins.”  The word “He” is literally referring to “the One” which is Christ.  Jesus Christ came to abolish or destroy sin.  It should seem clear then, that it would be inconsistent for followers of Christ to continue in sin.

The “our sins” is a possessive term and rightly so.  They are yours and mine!  How great is the inconsistency if a believer is continuing to practice the very thing Jesus Christ came to destroy!  For this reason we are told to “abide in Him who does not sin.”  To be abiding in Him is referring to an eternal relationship that we as believers have in Christ.  Those who have never trusted Jesus Christ as personal Savior do not experience this abiding In Christ.  He who abides in Christ sins not!  This does not mean that we will never commit an act of sin, but what this does mean is that we will not be practicing sin or living in sin habitually.

The Devil has a plan for our life – But God also has a plan for us!  As a member of the family of God, His plan is what brings Him glory and brings to us the peace and happiness we want, need and deserve because we are abiding in Him.

- GM

Day  23                       What a Family!   -  Seek to be like Him!                                

1 John 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

              Pastor Logan preached on this passage on Sunday night.  He was talking about the importance of knowing that hope.  If that hope is in us,  then we will be able to purify ourselves.  Purifying then comes from having this hope.  The hope that John is writing about is the hope of being the Sons of God and being like Him when He shall appear.

       You will notice that the definition of purity in this passage is Christ.  We are to be purified as He is pure.  We are to be holy because He is holy.  We don’t have to come up with a man made standard.  The standard is not even the law.  The standard of purity is Christ.   We will be like Him and therefore, we need to become pure as He is pure in our daily walk.   How does a man purify himself?  We are pure before God in the salvation that Christ has wrought for us.  But God also desires us to be pure day by day.  Psalm 119 gives us a couple of principles that help us with daily purity.  The Psalmist wrote, 

Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

         The word “way” is not the normal word,  derek.  This word means a “well traveled,  well beaten path.”  It is a path that has been taken many times.  It is a problem area that we are prone to follow.  It is what the book of Hebrews calls,  “the sin which doth so easily beset” you.   Every one of us struggle in certain areas where we are prone to sin.  Some sins are easy to overcome.  Perhaps you have no desire for drinking or drugs. They are not a temptation to you.  You have never used them.  But there may be another area that causes you to fall and is a constant area that you confess to God. 

         The answer to this addiction in verse 9 is “taking heed thereto according to thy (God’s) word.”  Again,  the word “taking heed” is the word that is most often translated “to guard,”  “to protect.”  The Word of God is not a rabbit’s foot or a talisman.  The Word of God must be taken and put in its proper place in our lives.  It is not enough simply to read a portion each day.  A person must “take heed.”   He must guard each verse and protect it.  It is too important to let it fall to the ground.  The Word of God can change us,  but only when we truly see each of the words of the Bible as the very Word of God. 

Day 22- Monday, March 30th
CBC Family Devotions- 1 John

1 John 2:29-3:2

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.  Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS REVEALED BY HOW YOU LIVE AND WHO YOU LOVE

Read 1 John 2:29-3:2

Read 2:26 and then 3:7- Do NOT let anyone deceive you!

It appears that at the heart of this portion of text is the idea that your confidence and boldness (2:28) and your hope (3:3) to not be deceived is to be reminded of what it means to be a child of God.

It seems that God has put into the heart of every child a desire to come to resemble some character quality of their father.  The identity of the child that is found in the context of their family will play itself out in how they conduct their life.  In the earthly sense, a child will grow up seeking those thing that were lacking.  However, our Heavenly Father supplies ALL that is lacking when we abide in Him (2:28).  The experience of having a Father that satisfies all that is “missing” gives a child HOPE (3:3) and a desire to live purely.  This child truly understands who their family is and they are motivated to come to resemble the character qualities of their Father.  For there is coming a day when the children of God will see Him in all of His glory.

If we lose sight of that glorious day, then we lose sight of our true identity in Christ, as a child of God.  When we lose our sense of identity we find ourselves discouraged (without hope), and lonely (without confidence).  In these moments, the child will find themselves very prone to the enemy’s attacks and deceptions. 

-          What are some of the character qualities of God that you have encountered in your study in 1 John- or perhaps in other studies you have been doing?

-          What do you think God has been trying to show you about Himself?

-          As you consider being a Child of God, is there anything that you would be ashamed of?  Something that you know is hurting your Father?

Take some time to have a Father-Son or a Father-Daughter Talk.

Day 21     The advice of a father  -  Abide in Him!              

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
28 ¶  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

What do you need?  The Father gives us this advice in chapter 2 of 1 John.  He says you don’t need anyone to teach you.  It’s not that we know so much or are so smart that we can learn so much.  The point is that God has given us the Holy Spirit and the Spirit can teach you all things.  You don’t need someone else teach you the Bible.  You can learn the Bible on your own.
God has given us teachers,  and it is a great blessing to learn from those who God has gifted to teach,  but we are not dependent on another person to learn from God or to learn about God.  We are priests unto God.  The priesthood of the believer teaches us that we do not need any man on this earth to mediate.  We can come into His presence.  We can abide with Him.  We can learn from Him.  We can talk to Him.
There are many religions that teach that man is incapable of approaching God without a priest,  without Mary,  without a member of the clergy.  God’s Word teaches us that we can come boldly to the throne of God.

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

So then,  why don’t we?   If we have the privilege of being able to come into His presence,  why do we spend so much time outside of His presence,  and so little time with Him?
Obviously those who teach that we have no access to the Father are wrong,  but it is almost a greater problem to believe that we do have access to His throne and not come into His presence.  How many people are on their way to hell without our prayers?  How many opportunities have we missed simply because we did not hear God speak to us?   How many sins have we failed to overcome without His strength?
It is a serious matter not to take this matter seriously! John, as the Father, tells the children,  “abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”
We wonder whether we will be ashamed of our lack of effort to speak to our heavenly father.  We wonder how many will not rejoice in the second coming because they were not ready when He appears?

Day 20         The advice of a father  -  Let the Spirit Guide you!              

1 John 2:20   But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

21  I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

              How do we know if something is of God or of Satan?   The context of verses 20,21 talks about antichrists coming into the world to deceive Christians.  It is a serious warning,  but how can we tell the difference?  Obviously,  Satan is really good at disguising himself and his doctrines.  He has been “fooling” Christians for thousands of years.  Many good church buildings are empty or have turned into apartment buildings.  Many of those churches at one time preached the gospel and saw people saved.  Now that church doesn’t exist.  After I was saved I attended Lakeside Baptist Church.  That church no longer exists.  I went to Florida Bible College.  That college no longer exists.  In many cases,  false teachings or sin entered into those bodies and destroyed them from within.  How can we see the false teachings that Satan is bringing into our church?

         John says,  “you have an unction  (an anointing) of the Holy One.  You know all things.” 

I am certain that I do not know all things.  Only God knows all things.  Perhaps that is what he is saying.  John is reminding us that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  That Holy Spirit is God.  He knows all things.  We can’t rely on our own abilities or our own knowledge.  We are not the ones who can see the attacks of the devil.  He is a spirit.  We are physical bodies. Satan does not appear to us in a way that alerts our senses.  But the Holy Spirit knows all things.  When we have the Holy Spirit directing us,  we can see spiritually.  Paul wrote,

1 Corinthians 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

         Prayer has to be the most important part of seeing and knowing.  We have to allow God’s Spirit to direct us. We often act like Gehazi,  worried and afraid,  but unable to see.  Elisha said, 

2 Kings 6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

        That’s the way we need to pray every day;  “Lord open our eyes.”  We have the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  He is God and He knows all things.  He is willing to reveal them to us.  He wants to teach us and show us the areas that are dangerous in our walk.  May we look to Him for the way in which we should go each day. 

Day 19         The advice of a father  -  Warnings: False Teachers!                   1 John  2:18,19

1 John 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

         One of the key indicators of the last days is the presence of false teachers.  There have been two major times when Satan majored on bringing false teachings into the church.  The first time was in the time of the apostles.  When the scriptures were being compiled,  Satan worked endlessly trying to corrupt the Word of God. There were many false epistles and false teachings that wormed their way into churches.  In the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3,  John warned against “them that hold the doctrine of Balaam,” those who “hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,”  the woman Jezebel  “which calleth herself a prophetess,”  and about those “who say they are apostles, and are not.” 

         The second major time when the devil calls on false prophets is in the time we are living.  We understand that Satan has a major motivation,  “for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”  (Revelation 12:12).  The last days even have a man that is called “the false prophet.” 

         It shouldn’t surprise us when we hear about churches who directly contradict God’s commands and God’s teachings.  Satan even places some of these false teachers in our churches.  John had the experience of knowing,  “they went out from us,  but they were not all of us.”  There were some in John’s church who were the spirit of antichrist.  It is part of Satan's plan, and we should expect to have Satan place false teachers in fundamental churches.  He desires to confuse and blind people to the truth of the gospel.  In many cases these will go out from us that it “might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” 

         As Fathers we have a responsibility to warn our kids of the way that Satan works,  how He goes about trying to ruin good churches.  We need to warn them about counterfeits.  Counterfeit Christians are very dangerous because they look so much like the real thing.  They use the same words,  the same emphases.  They use the same Bibles,  but they are not “of us.”  They do not have the same God or the same Savior.

         Warning our children is one of the most important tasks that we do as Fathers in our families.  If we don’t show them what is true and what is false, how will they tell the difference?  We are in danger of ruining our heritage. 

Day 18- Thursday, March 26

1 John 2:17

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Again, the key idea of 1 John is this:

WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS REVEALED BY HOW YOU LIVE AND WHO YOU LOVE

John told us in 2:1 that one of the reasons he is writing this is “so that you may not sin” and he concluded the entire book by telling the readers that they are to “keep themselves from idols.”

 There is some very strong language used in this section (2:15-17) regarding what a Christian loves.  If you have come to BELIEVE that your joy, peace of mind, confidence, and success are merely found in the fulfillment of normal appetites like hunger, thirst, weariness, or sex (lust of the flesh); intellectual pursuits that gratify the sight and mind (lust of the eyes); and in impressing people with your importance and management of stuff (pride of life) - then you will find yourself wanting more.  As John helps us understand- if you love yourself and you live for yourself it will be evident in your pursuits.  A Christian who lives this way might SAY that they love God and SAY believe that He is their satisfaction and fulfillment, but the practice of their life reveals otherwise.

Buying into the world’s system of values and thinking is idolatry.  It is substituting the eternal joy that God offers with the pleasures of this world.  Every Christian is prone to find pleasure in what the world offers.  We may be tempted by their lifestyle.  We may wish we could be like them and engage in their activities.

But- DOING the will of God (not just knowing about it) but actively living for God.  Doing God’s will is kind of like learning to swim.  Because we live on the land we get comfortable with the way things are.  But learning to function in the water is completely different.  You have to first get in the water, and then, you have to spend time there.  The more you obey God the more proficient you become in knowing what He wants you to do.

Here are a few questions:

-          How do you feel about the world’s system?  Do you want it?  Does it entice you?  Or are you burdened because you see the lives of people around you destroyed by it?

-          What are some examples of things in this world that are easy for us to love?

-          What does it look like when somebody loves the things of this world?

-          How would you protect yourself from developing a love for the world?

Day 17  What does the world have to offer?  I John 2:16

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

As we learned yesterday, the world has much to offer that is appealing to the flesh.  Everywhere we look, the destructive offers of the world are out there. 

In this verse we see the sum of the evil things in the world; the following are the objects of sin in the world, or about which wicked men are conversant; these are the carnal or fleshly, visible to the eye, and belong to this vain life, or serve to fill with pride and vanity.  These are the main things, which men that love the world most highly value and esteem:

The Lust of the Flesh: by which is meant, that part of us which lusts against the Spirit; and wars against the soul.   These fleshly lusts are many, and are also called worldly lusts.   These lust of uncleanness  include all unchaste desires, thoughts, words, and actions, also fornication, adultery, and others, and are all unnatural lusts; which make up a considerable part of the all that is in the world.  Also including intemperance in eating and drinking, gluttony and drunkenness, excess of wine, rioting, and all the sensual pleasures of life, by which the carnal mind, and the lusts of it, are gratified; whereby the soul is destroyed, the body is dishonored.

The Lust of the eyes: Those looks after unlawful objects, lascivious looks, eyes full of adultery, and whereby adultery is committed; (see Mt 5:28); a sinful curiosity of seeing vain sights, with which the eye of man is never satisfied, (Ec 1:8); and against which the psalmist prays, (Ps 119:37), or rather the sin of covetousness, the objects of which are visible things, as gold, silver, houses, lands, and possessions, with which riches the eyes of men are never satisfied, and which sin is drawn forth and longed for by the lust of the eyes.  The eye is the gateway of the heart.

The Pride of Life:  An ambition of honor, of high titles, as in the Scribes and Pharisees, (Mt 23:6,7), or of grand living.  The word signifies not so much life as living; living in a luxurious, and pompous manner, in rich diet, costly apparel, having fine seats, palaces, and stately buildings; all which is but vanity and vexation of spirit; see (Ec 2:1,3-8,11).  Every age has some peculiar things in which the pride of it appears.

Is not of the Father:  God the Father, is not the author of sin, nor is it agreeable to his will.  Those things which are desired and lusted after might be of God, but the lust itself is not.

It is of the world:  These lusts of the world, are of men and is agreeable to their carnal minds; and is a reason why things of this world are not to be loved by believers.  We are not of it, but chosen and called out of it; and besides, all these things are mean, base, vile, and contemptible, and are very much unworthy of our love and affection.

So to answer the question “What does the world have to offer?”  If it is contrary to the things of God – then the answer is nothing!  With regard to eternity – nothing!

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.”

Day 16                                                  

 In the World, Not of the World                                  

 I John 2:15

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

When rescuers were finally able to pull a middle-aged man from the wreckage of a horrible car accident, he was taken to a nearby hospital.  It soon became apparent that he would die.  As the chaplain comforted him, the man, who was a Christian, exclaimed: “As I look squarely at eternity, I realize now just how much I wasted my life on things that don’t matter.”  What a sad revelation!  Today’s passage offers a strong challenge to those who waste their lives on things that just don’t matter.

John opens this passage with uncompromising words:  “Do not love the world or anything in the world.”  At first glance, this verse may seem at odds with the passage in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”  Most likely, John here is using a different use of the word world.  In John 3:16, the word world is used to refer to lost souls, whereas here in I John 2:15 refers to an entire system of beliefs and values that we might call a “worldview.”  This world view is completely opposed to God and His ways.  To clarify what he means here, John list three elements of this worldview.  First, he warns against “cravings.”  These are misplaced appetites for some of our most powerful drives such as for food, for intimacy, and for recognition.  Second, John talks about the “lust of the eyes.”  This includes both what we can see and what we can imagine.  This is best summarized as our tendency to look at external qualities without really inquiring about what is on the inside.  For example, many people are tempted by the pursuit of wealth because of all they imagine it will enable them to possess.  And finally, John addresses pride.  Pride is that self-sufficiency that attempts to manufacture what God has promised, or what He has forbidden, rather than humbly allowing Him to give what we need.

In application as we look at this verse – don’t condemn everything material as evil.  Instead, focus on our affection for the “stuff” around us.  In other words, it’s not so much about what kind of car we drive, but rather the reason we might have for wanting it or something better.  What John is saying, is that we can’t ever let these kinds of things distract us from what is eternal:  that is God Himself.  The things of this world will soon be gone, but God is everlasting.  Love not the world – but have a Love for God that surpasses everything else!

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”

Day 15                                           To Fathers                                                1 John 2:13,14

13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

14  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.

         John writes this to men of different ages.  A man begins as a small boy.  He does not have the strength to accomplish great things,  but he can have the faith of a child.  It is at this stage that the boy accepts by faith the God who forgives sins.  As the boy grows,  he becomes a young man.  This is the period of his life when his muscles develop and he has that period of time when he has the most accomplishments.  He can outwork the boys or the older men.  He has a passion inside of him that declares that nothing is impossible.  It is also the time when young men go off with their strength to war.  They are able to overcome.  John writes about the young men who by conviction and strength have overcome the wicked one. 

         John continues to write about the man when he is old.  At some point his strength begins to fail.  Instead of injuring the man,  it becomes that man’s greatest blessing.  He know longer boasts of his achievements.  Now he has to rely upon a spiritual strength that he has learned to depend upon completely for every moment of every day.  He relies upon that strength for his health,  for his work,  for his breath.  As a young boy he came to know God,  but now as an older man,  he has learned the very character and care of that God for his soul. 

         God created this world.  He created the moon and the stars. He has created every element and every possible use for these elements.  What is impossible to see apart from faith is that God who is all powerful loves you more than anyone on this earth. We bask and bathe in that closeness. 

But unfortunately,  we also at some point choose to sin.  That sin separates us from God.  That closeness that we have discovered,  which is so precious to us and so necessary for our daily strength is gone.  But God has provided us a way back into that close relationship.  He gives us the ability to confess our sin,  and then He is there to welcome us back and to reveal to us a love that is greater than all knowledge.

Ephesians 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Day 14                                       To Young Men  (and women)                                    1 John 2:13,14

13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

14  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

         The blessings and problems of young men come from the same place,  their strength.  Their strength helps them to overcome the wicked one.  Their strength also keeps them from relying on the Lord. 

         Young men have some benefits that the children do not have.  They have grown,  they have matured.  They have fully developed abilities.  But they do not possess all that the fathers possess.  They have not yet learned from experience their limitations.  No matter how much they develop and gain strength,  they will also have limitations that are placed on them by God.  We read, 

Romans 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

         This is a verse for young men and young women.  Though they are fully capable of learning anything,  and though they are fully capable of making their own decisions,  they must learn that they have a “measure of faith,”  but not all faith.  They are not able to do all that God wants them to do apart from God’s strength.  They are not able to do all that they want to do.  They can have a home,  a marriage,  a family,  but the Bible points out,  “except the Lord build the house,  they labor in vain that build it.”  God has placed limitations on man so that man would learn to lean upon the creator who desires to strengthen him.  Man falls many times before he finally learns where his true strength comes from.  The sooner we learn that lesson,  the better our lives will be.  Some of the choices that we make without God,  affect and change our entire lives.  We would be much better off if we would learn to accept God’s wisdom and strength for each of our daily choices and decisions. 

         It is exciting to watch our children grow and learn to overcome obstacles.  We enjoy seeing their talents develop.  As fathers and mothers we continually pray for them as they grow into young men and women, that they will also learn to give back all of their talents to God and trust Him to use them for His glory. 

Day 13                                                  To Little Children                                          1 John 2:12,13

12  I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

13  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

         Back to the family.  We don’t want to ignore any of the members of the family.  All have a need and all have something that they can offer to the family.  The children seem to be takers rather than givers,  but they know the Lord and they desire Him.  They are given to great faith and often great feats because of their faith.  The Bible says,

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We also read,

Mark 10:15  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

         Children come to Christ not in wisdom or strength, but in faith. John writes unto the little children because they know the Father.  It is a simple knowledge.  They do not know all about the Father.  They only know that He is good and that they can trust Him.  They are brought into the family through the new birth.  All of the members of the family have come to God the same way.  They have not journeyed down the road as far as the young men or the fathers, but they know that their sins are forgiven.

         In many ways we never want to stop being children.  We always want to have the same dependence upon the Father that we had when we were saved.  The problem with young men is that they can begin to trust in their own strength and seek their own wisdom before they turn to Christ for His help when they are in need.

         Fathers can trust in their past experiences and successes.  They look back on what they were able to accomplish.  The young children are a constant reminder of how we were saved and where we find our strength.

Day 12                                     Family Exam  -  The Test of Love                               1 John 2:7-11

1 John 1:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

              God has designed a family to be a storage unit for love.  The world does not understand love.  God has given us some illustrations so that we can know what it means when He says,  “For God so loved the world.”  The illustrations come in a physical form called family.  A family by definition loves one another.  Brothers love their sisters and brothers. Moms and dads love each other and their children. The church is another illustration of God’s love.  We read,

John 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

         This is not something new.  This is one of the basic building blocks of creation and of civilization.  Cain slew Abel,  but God held him accountable for his actions.  He said,  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  The correct answer is expected,  “yes.”  Throughout the Bible we see illustrations of man’s failure to love and God’s revelation of His love for mankind.  Man does not have to be taught to love. 

1 Thessalonians 4:9  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

         When we look at God’s Word,  it is one of the basic Christian teachings.  The first commandment is “love the Lord your God with all your heart,  soul, and mind.”  The second commandment that the Lord gave to His disciples,  was given in the book of Leviticus,

Leviticus 19:18  Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

         Love your neighbor as yourself.  This is one of the basic building blocks of Christianity,  but it is also a block that is missing in many families and in many churches.  There is a word in the New Testament in Philippians 2:13— vainglory.  It means that we are out for our own glory.   It means that the self glory that we seek is empty and groundless.  The opposite of vainglory is seeking the things of others.  It is what Christ did when He came to the earth. It is loving others as we love ourselves.

         We have a strong desire to have men look up to us,  to respect us.  We don’t want to be equal.  We want to be better than others.  We ought to be seeking God’s glory not our own glory.  Godliness says,

Philippians 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Day 11                            Family Exam  -  The Test of Abiding                            1 John 2:6

1 John 2:6  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

              The Apostle Paul was taught as a young man from Gamaliel,  a very respected teacher in Jerusalem.  When you sit under a teacher,  you should become a disciple of that teacher.  When you teach,  you will teach as you have been taught.  It is very unusual to become something other than what you have been taught.   Paul wrote to the Colossians, 

Colossins 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

         He expected the Colossians to live according to the way they were taught.  If we are disciples of Christ,  we should reflect what He believed.  Again Paul said to Timothy,

2 Timothy 2:2  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

          In other words,  “teach the things that I have taught you.”   The word disciple mathates, means,  “learner,  pupil.”   A disciple not only learns doctrines and teachings.  He also learns an example.  We read,

Philippians 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

         The Philippians were disciples of Paul.  They were his pupils,  his students.  As his students,  they are expected to act like they acted. 

         When the early church was formed,  the disciples were arrested.  It was obvious from their lifestyle that they were followers of Christ.

Acts 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

          There was something different about these men.  The acted like Jesus acted.  You and I need to take this second test.  Are we really walking as Jesus walked.  If we are abiding in Him,  we will walk like Him.  If we are not walking like Christ walked,  it will be obvious that we are not abiding in Him.