The Daily Dose

God’s life in me

Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So, they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 1 John 3:9

God’s life in me.  I would think that would look greater than it does on the outside.  However, God’s life is on the inside of me.  God’s life is what empowers me to do all that He has planned for me to accomplish.  So why does it seem stronger on some days than others.  Why is the power of God in my life more evident on some days over others?  What about other people who only see the outside of me?  How would they know that God’s life is on the inside of me?  Well, one way is because I don’t make a practice of sinning willfully.  According to this passage I can’t make “sinning” a practice because I am a child of God.

That is good news, but how do I keep the life of God strong on the inside of me? Not only to keep me from sin, but to keep me motivated and empowered?  The answer is in the question, what is God’s life in me for?  Is it so that I can have a relationship with Him?  Is it so that I can do His wonders and become well known?  Is it because I need salvation so I don’t spend an eternity separated from my Heavenly Father?  Well certainly, I cannot be a child of God without His life (the life of my Father) being on the inside of me, but the real reason God’s life lives in me is to share it with others around me.  The empowerment He has put on the inside of me is to empower me to share His love for all people, with all people.

So why do I find myself struggling with sharing the love of God with others?  This passage not only reveals the reason for the struggle, it also reveals how to overcome the struggle.  The struggle is in knowing and wanting to share God’s love with all people but having the message rejected in the process.  As I write this message today, I realize the reason for this struggle is that I have tried to do this in my own ability instead of His.  When I sense the Holy Spirit leading me to share God’s love with others, that is the time to look to the life of God that lives on the inside of me for the strength and empowerment to do it.  In that way, I will no longer wrestle with feelings of inadequacy or inability, but be empower by that life inside of me. He never intended for me to do this mission on my own, He intended to equip me!

Today I want to encourage you if you have been like me in the past and wanted to reach others, but tried to do it in your own strength, ask your Heavenly Father today to stir up that supernatural life inside you to empower and embolden you to share His love.  Reach out to the need of others, whatever it may be, and let God’s power flow through you to make the connection that draws others to Him.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 John 3:4-9

We are His children

Look at what kind of love the Father has placed on us, that we should be named the children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.     1 John 3:1

What kind of love is this?  The Father kind of love and not just any father, our Heavenly Father.  Do you have children?  If you do, then you know how much you love them.  You know that you would do anything to help them be successful in all they attempt to do.  You don’t ever want to see them hurting, sick or defeated.  If they do go through hard times you will do anything possible to help them get back up again.  Not only that, if they need anything, you go out of your way to help them as much as you are physically able to do.  You are their greatest encourager and even when the mess up, you are the first person to forgive them.  If they behave badly, that can never change how much you love them.  It doesn’t matter what they do, you will always love them even if they try to push you away. 

My point?  That’s how God loves His children, except He is actually able to help with the impossible things and He is always ready to.  Some where along the line we got the idea that it hard to receive from God.  That we have to first prove our self or come groveling and begging to get Him to help us out.  But that’s just not the case.  He is always ready and willing. We can be as close to Him or as far away as we want.  Just like our own children can.  They can choose to be close and in a right relationship with us or they can choose to be not so close.

Today’s verse tells us that God’s love is a gift.  He has named us His children.  Romans 8:15 actually says God adopted us into His family.  He chose us and He chooses to love us.  Even when we were deep in sin, He brought us to Himself.  This is a great gift and one we should be so thankful for each day!  We know our Father watches over and is ever ready to come to our rescue, but we also know that He wants to commune and walk with us continually.  His desire is for us and He has set it up so that He is available to us all day long. 

Today I want to encourage you to stay close to your heavenly Father.  Talk to Him about all the things going on in your life.  Not in a complaining way but in a way that you believe He can and will do something to help.  He wants to help, but we have to be willing to ask for His help.  He will bail us out of any situation and if we look to Him ahead of time, we can avoid a lot of traps and falls along the way.

Today’s scripture reading; 1 John 3:1-3

Fellowship with Him

And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.  1 John 2:28

I want to focus on the word ‘fellowship’ today.  This isn’t the first time we have seen that we can have fellowship with Jesus our Savior.  The New King James actually translates it as abiding or dwelling in Him.  However, I like the word fellowship because it means an association with someone who shares the same interest as you do.  That’s what we do as Christians, have a common interest with each other and our LORD.  That is what our salvation and our Christian walk are all about.  Fellowship to me is having a good time or enjoying a time of communion with others.  It isn’t all the time, but it is regularly. 

So, How do we have “fellowship” with Jesus?  Of course my answer is spending time with Him.  This is what the scripture is talking about when it says abide in Him.  It means to live where He lives.  That doesn’t mean you have to go somewhere.  It is simply setting time aside to pray (talk to Him) read His word and meditate His word.

I want to just qualify that reading your bible and saying a quick prayer doesn’t mean you fellowshipped with Him.  In the same way as spending hours reading the word isn’t necessarily fellowshipping either.  It’s kind of like running an ongoing conversation with Him.  Check in frequently and consider that He is always there with you.  You don’t have to stop everything to talk to Him, you can fellowship with Him wherever you are.  You can check in when something comes up when you don’t know what to do.  You can submit feeling or emotions that come as a result of certain circumstances or you can just say thank you for all the wonderful things He has done and is doing in your life.  You probably won’t hear and audible voice (though I’m not saying its impossible) but you will probably get a knowing on the inside of what to do, say or feel.  That’s how it works, He is always there leading and guiding you, but it is up to you to keep that line of communication open.

Today I want to encourage you to fellowship with you Savior, Jesus.  Enjoy being in His presence always and talk to Him like He is a person, because He is.  He is not hard or distant, He is close . . . closer than you think.  He will give you words to say, He will lead you to people to reach out to and He will help you with all things you face every day.  Start a closer walk with Him today and learn to depend on His direction to take you to success.  Don’t stumble around in the dark, take the light with you always.

Today’s scripture reading:  1 John 2:26-29

Be faithful

So, you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. In this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us. 1 John 2:24-25

This passage in 1 John starts out saying: It is the last hour.  What?  This was written almost 2000 years ago, yet John says it is the last hour.  If they were in the last hour on God’s timing back then, we are in God’s last minutes now.  Even though we don’t know exactly when the end will be, we do know we are closer than any other generation has been before us.  How much more prepared should we be than all the others?

So how do we prepare?  Today’s verse says that we are to remain faithful to what we were taught from the beginning.  The message of salvation.  The message that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect and sinless life, carried the sin of the world to the cross.  Paid the debt for all sin by dying on the cross. Got the keys of death after dying on the cross and walk out of the tomb with His glorified body.  Then to top it all off, He was raptured (ascended) into Heaven to sit at His Father’s right hand.  This is the basis for Salvation and the church denominations will agree on these points.  John clearly points out that if this message is contradicted it is anti or against Christ.  This is the message we will stay faithful to and it is the only message that matters for Salvation of those in the world today.  It is the very foundation of the church.

We as believer are to remain faithful to this message instead of adding rules and regulations to it. We are to spread this message around the world and when we are busy doing it, we will not be bogged down with the weight of doctrine and theology.  Jesus didn’t make it difficult; He came and did all the hard work for us.  Now we are in the position of being more than a conqueror.  More!  I know this is hard to grasp but Jesus didn’t come to get the victory so that we could live life defeated.  No!  We didn’t have to pay the price, but we have His victory!!  Glory to God!  All the storms you have come out of victoriously in this life are your witness that you have the victory in Christ Jesus.

Today I want to encourage you to remain faithful to the salvation message that brought you to your relationship with Christ Jesus.  It’s the only thing that counts and it is the only message that will stand the test of time.  Stand and be more than a conqueror by walking in His victory every day!  He got the victory for you, so you can live it.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 John 2:18-25

Love not the world

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15

This is a straightforward direction from the Apostle John.  He says don’t love the world or the things in it.  Sounds pretty simple and self explanatory, but what does it really mean to “love” the world?  Obviously it not a physical love but it is a love for physical things. 

When I read this verse, it makes me think of Lot’s wife when they were being rushed out of the city of Sodom before it was destroyed.  She had such a love for that place that she couldn’t stop looking at it.  Even after being warned not to look back, she could not resist because that is where her heart was. (Genesis 19)

It is the same way with us today.  If the things of the world are what hold our heart, that is where our love will be also.  Verse 16 actually tells us what the love for the world is.  It says the lust of the flesh (wanting your own way), the lust of the eyes (wanting everything you see) and the pride of life (wanting to be or appear to be important).  What it all boils down to is if we go through this life preoccupied with selfishness, we are only thinking about what the world has to offer “me” instead of what I have to offer the world. That is a Savior.

Today I want to encourage you to examine your heart and the intentions of it.  Are you living only to satisfy the desires of your heart?  Or are you seeking first the Kingdom of God and those He desires for you to help in this life.  If you have in the past thought that life was all about hanging on and getting through the best you can, the good news is that can change today.  Have a change of heart right now and turn your desires over to God and ask Him for a fresh start.  Begin to commit each day to Him and ask Him to bring people into your life that you can help and encourage in some way.  Then when people do come your way, don’t walk by them, stop and offer God’s love and a helping hand.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 John 2:12-17

Let them have the best of us

Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.  1 John 2:7

Love one another.  Sounds simple right?  Though walking in love can be one of the most difficult things about life.  Since God is love, walking in His love is how we show God to the world and to other believers for that matter. 

Today’s scripture says that loving one another is a command not a suggestion.  Jesus gave the command to love one another in John chapter 15 when He was giving His final message to the disciples before He went to the cross.  He told them to love each other the way He loved them.  In this way they were different than the rest of the world.  Because God is love, love is how the world sees God in us and sees that we are different from everyone else in the world.

Today’s world is so far from love.  Everywhere you go you find attitude and stress.  Everyone is so angry and determined to have things their own way.  The world seems preoccupied with not letting anyone get the “best” of them, literally.  People are so set on getting their own way, they don’t care who they have to step on to get it.  Take a look around the next time you are in a public place, you can see and hear the hearts far from love.

Love is our calling.  We are the example of love to the world.  We are the ones who go out of our way to let someone know we care about them.  In showing our love for them, we show God’s love for them.  Love is our greatest witness with the best results.  Simply a kind word or gesture can be all it takes for someone to turn their attention in the direction of God’s goodness.  It can be as simple as that. 

Today I want to encourage us all to put away our bent toward self and look for others to bless.  Ask God to put someone on your heart that needs love and encouragement today and then reach out to them in some way.  Ask the LORD to help you recognize when someone crosses your path that may need a word of kindness or even some help in a financial way.  Determine to make your life count for others by setting a goal to touch at least one life a day in some way for the kingdom of Heaven.  You will feel a sense of purpose and fulfillment in your life that you have never had before.  Let’s let the world have the “best” of us in the love of God today.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 John 2:7-11

Walk like Jesus

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.  1 John 2:6

Walk like Jesus?  Is that even possible?  Jesus set the example for us, and although He set the bar high, it doesn’t mean that we see it as an unattainable goal.  It is not a goal to walk through life perfect and without flaw, it is to keep His word and have the love of God perfected in us.

I like how this passage says that we know Him if we keep His commandments, but then it goes on to say in verse 5 that we keep His word.  This is possible to accomplish because the word of God has made provision for our failures and short comings.  For example, as we talked about a couple of days ago, when we confess our sin to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)  The word of God/scripture does not demand perfection from us, it simply allows us to line up with it continuously.  When we fall down, we look back to Jesus and our salvation and He picks us up and leads us back to the place of right standing with God in Him.

Keeping His word is part of our personal relationship with Him.  In keeping His word, we must first know it or be able to hear His voice on the inside reminding us of it.  It also guides us closer to Him as we know more of it.  Imagine a relationship you have in this world with a close friend.  The closeness of that relationship is based on the words you share with each other.  If you never talk to one another, you do not have a close relationship.  Think about a close relationship you had in the past but have lost contact with that person.  You no longer have a close friendship because you do not speak to one another anymore.

It’s the same way with our relationship with Jesus.  By talking to and spending time with Him, we become closer to Him each time we focus on that relationship.  This is what today’s verse is referring to when it says abide in Him.  It means to hang out there often or live there.  If you live with Jesus, you are going to live like Jesus.

Today I want to encourage you to live with Jesus.  Set quiet time aside with Him each day and get to know His ways and His word better.  Take Him with you all day long and remember He is there when you need help.  Then walk His ways out in your daily life and draw others to Him through your walk of love and compassion.  Jesus is the answer to any problem and in if we walk our life the way He walked His, we can be too.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 John 2:3-6

Know Him personally

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.  1 John 2:2

Propitiation!  It means to satisfy a debt.  In this case it means God pour out His wrath on Jesus in our place to satisfy the debt of our sin.  It’s a very sobering thought.  Jesus took our punishment and I am so thankful He did.  I can’t even make myself imagine that I would have had to pay this debt and take this punishment had I not accepted Jesus sacrifice to take it for me.  However, He didn’t do it just for me and you, this scripture says He did it for the whole world.  How does that work?  If He did it for the whole world, does that mean the whole world is automatically saved?  No, it is a personal choice. If fact verse 1 says that John is writing this letter so that the readers will not sin, but if they do, Jesus will stand in on their behalf in front of God to represent them. He does this through His own sacrifice.  In other words, Jesus is standing between us and God the father as a reminder that He paid our sin debt . . . past, present and even the sin we haven’t done yet.  Then in verse three it says that keeping His commandments is evidence that we know Him personally.

So that’s the key!  Even though Jesus died for the sin of the whole world as verse 2 says, the rest of the passage says that we have to know Him personally in order for Him to be our advocate (means He stands in our place or pleads our case for us)  Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:23 – And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’  Those who said they did good things in Jesus name, He says He never knew them (personally). 

Knowing Jesus personally is the most important relationship you have in life.  It makes sense that you spend time cultivating and growing that relationship.  It is not just by going to church and doing good works although those are important.  It is spending time talking with Him, Listening to His leading and quiet voice inside your heart.  Reading His Word and getting to know His character and His way of living life.  This is where your focus and time should be directed.  We should run to Jesus every opportunity we get and press into Him as if our eternity depends on it, because it does.

Today I want to encourage you to know Christ Jesus personally.  If you have never received Him as you personal Lord and Savior who paid the penalty for your sin, do it today.  Then focus on developing a close relationship with Him by spending time reading the Word and talking with Him.  Take time to listen if He is speaking to your heart about anything and ask for clear direction if there is anything you need to be doing to promote Kingdom of Heaven progress here in the world.  The truth is, you can be as close to Him as you want to be just by spending more time getting to know Him.  Make Him the priority instead of your other pass times.  Choose to acknowledge Him in all your ways, then He will begin to direct you in every decision you make.

Pray a prayer like this to receive Jesus as your Lord today: God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior.  I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me.  Please forgive me for my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new.  I know you Son, Jesus died for me.  I believe in my heart that You raised Him form the dead.  At this very moment, I accept, confess and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward.  Thank you, Jesus for Your grace that has saved me from my sin and has given me eternal life.  I now have a right relationship with God my Father. I also ask for Your Holy Spirit to guide and empower me to do the things that You have planned for my life in Jesus name, Amen

Today’s scripture reading: 1 John 2:1-2

He cleanses us

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

I blew it again.  How many times am I going to mess this thing up?  Just when I think I really got a handle on things; I go and do something stupid or have a rotten attitude.  I really want to honor God in all I say and do, but inevitably something comes along to knock me off track and I get caught up in some selfish behavior.  The biggest dilemma of all this is now it’s too late to give God my first and best response.  Or is it?

Have you ever felt this way?  Have you ever been disappointed in yourself and your attitudes?  The fact is that none of us are perfect and because we live in this fallen world, at some time or another we are always going to blow it in some way.  However, it doesn’t mean that we cannot still give God our first and best response.  Let me explain what I mean.  I said to God, “Heavenly Father, I know I have blown it again.  I know my attitude is wrong and I repent and change my words and thoughts now to come in line with You.  But now it is too late to give you my first and best response to this issue.”  Then the Lord showed me that my repentant heart gives me a clean slate.  I have confessed that I did wrong and then turned away from that direction of a bad attitude and selfishness and turned back in the direction of God’s way and His grace.  Now I have a new chance to give God the first and best response to my circumstance because He has cleansed me from all unrighteousness.  It’s a fresh start, a do-over!  Glory to God!  He is so wonderful and gracious!

Now my response is, “Lord, this is not the ideal situation, I had something totally different in mind for today, but I give these circumstances to you and trust that you will work them altogether for good and keep me on track for the day just as you have so many times before.  You, Father, are so faithful, and I know I can trust you with everything that comes my way.”  His answer . . . A resounding “Yes!”  My first and best attitude and response along with trusting Him to handle my concern has given Him an entrance into the issue and now He turns it all around for good!  Thank You Father!

Today I want to encourage you to give God your first and best response in everything that comes your way.  When an unexpected situation comes along, turn it over immediately to your Heavenly Father and trust Him to handle it.  Let Him know you trust Him and believe that it will all work out.  Even when you forget and start stressing and having a bad attitude, know that you are just one step away from getting your “do over”.  Simply repent, turn back to God, He will cleanse you from all that unrighteousness, and now you can give Him your first and best!!

Today’s scripture reading:  1 John 1:5-10

Filled up with joy

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.  1 John 1:4

This is a good word.  I have read over this passage several times because I want to capture the heart of John and the joy he is expressing in this passage.  Because of the translation of this passage, it may not be evident at first how excited the apostle John is to give this news.  He repeats the idea twice to stress how amazing it is that God came to earth in human form.  To be see, heard and handled by John, the other disciples and many others who were around at the time.  It’s almost as if he is trying to convince himself again that it actually happened.  John is writing this book in his later years in life and he is writing to the Christians and it is believed that they would circulate his letters to as many different cities as possible so all the believers could be encouraged by his words.  He wants them to recognize that the fact that Jesus, who was here in the world and bridged the gap to God the Father in heaven, is still good news.  He says that he is writing this reminder to them so that they can be filled up with joy.  He doesn’t want them to be worried, sad or anxious, he wants them to be full of joy, like a celebration.  He has a message for them, but he is starting this message with a preface to rejoice and get ready to be encouraged because he is going to be sharing more good news with them.

Throughout 1 John, he warns of false teachers and also gives us solid evidence as assurance of their salvation.  The message is still circulating today.  God has protected this message over the years so we too could be encouraged.  We can rejoice that we have fellowship with Christ Jesus and God our Heavenly Father because of the Word of life that came to this world in God’s only begotten Son.  What an amazing gift!  Not only did He bring salvation through the payment for our debt of sin, He brought fellowship/communion for us to be able to come into the presence of God, our heavenly Father.  This is definitely something to be full of joy about and yet how often we let the thought of it slip right by with never a “thank you” or worshiping Him because of this great gift.

Today, I want to encourage you to rejoice at the fact that the Word of life came in the flesh to deliver, save and fellowship with us.  He desires that all would come to the Father through Him.  Take time today to be thankful and worshipful.  Honor our Heavenly Father because of our LORD Jesus Christ who became the first born of many brethren.  That’s us!

Today’s scripture reading: 1 John 1:1-4