Keep Yourselves From Idols

1 John 5:21 "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols."

      Lord, this seems like a very strange way to end a letter.  It seems like either an afterthought that John never had the chance to expound on or a "teaser" for another letter to come soon that would explain why he wrote that. Be that as it may, Lord, speak to me today.  Speak to my heart about idols.
      Life Application Bible (LAB) note says, "An idol is anything that substitutes for the true faith, anything that robs Christ of His full diety and humanity, any human idea that claims to be more authoritative than the Bible, any loyalty that replaces God as the center of our lives."
     I know that an idol is one thing that I might worship as the center of my life other than You: sports, celebrities, movies, technology of all kinds, my job, spouse, or children; but I see today that it can also be a theory or idea: evolution, any "-ology" (except true Theology) or"-ism".
      I believe You are telling me that if You are not first in my life, than something else is and that is my idol.  Lord, keep me from idols! YOU are my Savior, not someone or something else.  YOU paid the horrific price for my sin, YOU are the ONLY living and true God who loves me, guides me, provides for me, teaches me, and hears and answers my prayers.  YOU speak to me through YOUR Word and everything YOU tell me is true and good.
      Man's ideas, statues, or false gods can not do any of those things because they are lifeless and powerless.  Thank You Lord, for revealing Yourself and Your truth to me!

We Know Him Who is True

1 John 1:20 "We know also 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--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."

      Dearest Lord, this verse is another promise of comfort for me.  To KNOW You are TRUE!  Truth is not relative or situational.  Truth is truth in all time all the time.  Truth is not like shifting sand blown by winds in the desert of false doctrine or like sand changed and moved on the beach of my life by waves of uncertainty and man's "wisdom".  Truth is my Rock of Gibralter, my Mount Everest; it is solid, unchanging, dependable, and (unlike the two aformentioned landmarks) indestructable.  When earth and heavens have passed away, Your truth will stand!
      You ARE truth.  I can always depend on You and believe Your unchanging Word to guide, teach, comfort, and convict me.  Thank You, precious Lord for giving me not only this understanding, but eternal life.  It gives me confidence where there was uncertainty, and boldness where once there was timidity because I didn not know if what I believed was true or not.  Thank You for loving me while I was yet a sinner and didn't love You, and for saving me only by Your grace and mercy so I had nothing to boast in but You and Your work on the cross for me.  I will be forever grateful!

We Know That We Are Children Of God and That the World Around Us is Under the Control of the Evil One

1 John 5:19 "We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one."
    Dear Lord, John is not making an arrogant statement here.  If I am truly born of God, I know I am God's child. And I know it is not because of something wonderful I have done.  Paul wrote to Titus:

Titus 3: 3-7 "Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—"When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." 

           It is no secret that this world we live in is ruled by the evil one.  There are wars and rumors of wars, killing of unborn babies by the millions every month, broken homes and marriages, abused spouses and children, theft, murder, and terrorism adorn the headlines of our papers every single day.  Adultry, fornication and perversion is everywhere and being more accepted each and every day.  In the paper this past week, there was an article about how one of the oldest colleges in VA, that was founded by Christians, is now setting aside special housing for those students who are homosextual, lesbian, and transgender.  It does not appear that this is to keep them away from the other students as much as it is to give them preferance.  Isreal is being threatened by Iran, and terrorist bombs were found inside radios that were being sent to Jewish establishments in Bankok.
       Lord, I have read the end of the Bible and I know that Satan is defeated and You have already won, but he sure is making life horrible for folks on this earth in his death throws.  Thank You for Your armour that You provide for me daily.  Help me always to remember to put ALL of the pieces on each morning.

God's Son Holds Us Securely

1 John 5:18 "We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them." NLT
(I use this translation today because the others read in a confusing manner.)
      Precious Savior, what a promise!  Christians do sin, but can confess and be forgiven and restored to service.  We do not (or should not) make a habit of sinning, but be sensitive to the Spirit's leading and whisper of conviction. You hold me securely and the evil one CANNOT touch me.  Satan has no more power over me!  Hallelujah!
      Lord, I see Christians who live a defeated life because they either do not know this, or (sadly) don't believe it.  You have given me so many precious promises, but if I do not read Your Word, find and believe them, they are useless to me.  This verse gives me confidence to go forth with a smile knowing You are keeping me secure.  I know that does not mean that some bad things are not going to happen.   We do live in the Devil's world and his cohorts and children are everywhere.  That in itself gives me cause to praise You for Your promise.  I may still have to pay the consequences for a sin I commit, or suffer some illness because we live in a cursed world, but in You I am secure and Satan cannot touch me!
        Lord, there is just not enough praise I can give You for that!
   

Sins That Lead to Death

1 John 5: 16b-17 "I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death." (emphasis mine)
      Lord, thank You for other scholars who know the languages of the Bible and have studied long and hard to help us understand these hard passages.  In 1994, my beloved husband gave me the Life Application Bible and it has been such a blessing.  I went to it this morning for assistance.  It says that even the Bible commentators cannot agree on what these verses really mean, because there are instances of sin in scripture, both physical and spiritual, that led/lead to death:

Physical Death-
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 talks about those who died because of taking the Lord's Supper unworthily
Acts 5: 1-11 is the story of Ananias and Saphira and their lie to the Spirit caused immediate physical death

Spiritual Death-
Mark 3:29 Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit results in spiritual death
Hebrews 6:4-6 talks says  that it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit  and then have turned away, to repent because they have crucified the Lord afresh.
         Because John has been writing about false prophets and antichrists, it is believed that he is talking about the last group.  He clearly says that we should not pray about which kind of sin it is,  because only You can know the thoughts and intents of the heart.  So my understanding is that we should pray that all should be given life and leave that judgement up to You.
          Thank You, Lord, for that understanding.

Pray for Sinners and God Will Give Them Life

1 John 5" 16a "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life."

         Dearest Lord and Savior, thank You for the gift of prayer.  You could have made us and then left us here with no way to communicate with You.  You would still know our hearts, minds, and thoughts before we ever have them, but we would have no way to converse with You.  Lord, I don't ever want my prayers to be talking at You.  I fear there have been times when I came into Your presence without even saying hello, spewed my requests out to You, and then left without so much as a thank you or good-by.  Please forgive me!  Being a parent, I know what that feels like, and it made me feel sad, unloved, and taken for granted. Not being perfect God, I cannot imagine what that does to You.
          I confess I need the Spirit's help to understand and discern which sins lead to death and which do not.  At this point, since this talks about a brother, I should just pray for Your perfect will and let You be the judge. 
         Like You, my desire is that none should perish but all should come to repentance.  Today I pray for all those unsaved who are supporting the evil idea that small children should be able to determine which sex they want to be and to be given drugs to alter their sexual deleopment.  I pray for their salvation so they can see that YOU create life the way YOU see fit, and in Your image.
         

Pray According to God's Will

1 John 5:14-15 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him."

           Dear Lord, what a wonderful promise.  The key is to pray and ask "according to Your will".
You have told me to seek first Your Kingdom and righteousness and You will supply my needs. 
Lord, thank You for this assurance. 
         There are false teachers now that preach a "prosperity gospel".  They tell their followers that You are always obliged, because they are Jesus' brothers and sisters, to provide anything they want -from a Cadillac and money to grand mansions and perfect health.  What an arrogant teaching.  You have told us in James that we have not because we ask not or ask amiss that we can spend it on our own lusts.
        All blessing You give us are not evil in themselves, but are to be a conduit of blessing to others (Barnabas) .  It is the love of the material that is evil because it exemplifies the sin of greed and selfishness.
       No one wants to suffer pain and illness.  You have told me to pray for those who are sick or injured, and I do, but I have no right to demand that You do what I would like.  You know far better than I what the person really needs (Paul’s thorn to keep him humble) and what You are accomplishing in the invisible world (Job).  I have seen You totally heal some and not others (My husband and son).   Some You heal totally by taking them home.   Paul and all of the Apostles died a martyr's death.
       Would I like to see all babies cured, all cancer, autism, MS, MD, and Leukemia cured?  ABSOLUTELY!  I would LOVE to see my beloved husband and son cured of all of their aches, pains, and daily struggles!  However; that may not be Your plan for them.  Your ways are not our ways and Your thoughts are much higher than ours.  You see the end from the beginning and everything in between.  If I am really walking with You, my thoughts will be on the welfare and spiritual condition of others.  Temporal things should not be my primary concern, but my primary concern should be on Your kingdom.
         So I pray for Your perfect will to be done in their lives and mine and KNOW that You hear me and will answer according to Your will.

Big Faith!

I have frequestly been asked to share some of my Big Faith stories.  Having been saved since 1975, there are many, but here are three.  I pray they  help you in your faith walk too!  Our God is SO big and He wants to grow your faith as big as He is!

The first came shortly after I was saved.  We had another young mom who lived in our mobile home park who was bold enough and learned enough, that she shared Christ with about 10 of us young moms and we all trusted Christ within about  four months.  She would disciple us three times a week for an hour each day.  Of course I wanted desperately to share my faith with my beloved hubby, but he was not yet receptive.  One day he came home early and the descipling was going on at our house.  Brenda was telling us about the Rapture.  Dick caught just part of the conversation...the part about us meeting Jesus in the air.  He thought for sure I had gotten mixed up in some cult and it scared him.  After everyone left, he told me I would have to choose between him and this new "Jesus of mine".  As you can imagine, I was flabbergasted and did not have a clue what to do.  I went for a walk and started praying.  I ended up at Brenda's.  She told me that if my husband was ordering me not to have anything to do with church, listening to cassette tape sermons, reading my Bible and reading descipleship literature, that I should pack it all up and give it away and should never mention the Lord to him again.
THAT took BIG faith! 
I went home and told Dick that and he said that was exactly what he wanted.  So, I started packing everything up and praying.  About 15 minutes later, Dick came out in tears and told me he did not have the right to tell me that, but I was not to mention Jesus to him again or show any religious activity while he was home.  God was showing me, through my unsaved husband, 1 Peter 3:1-2.  Three years later, Dick came to trust Jesus too!
The second happened when Lance, at 9 years old, had both his kidneys out to get him ready for a transplant.  Everything they warn you can happen, and you sign for, before surgery happened to him.  He had 3 surgeries in a week, had massive infections that osmosted through his diaphragm into his lung cavity causing life threatening pneumonia.  The doctors had done everything they could and came to tell me that I had to make him take deep breaths or he would die.  I cried out to the Lord in desperation.  What was I supposed to do?  I wasn't a doctor!
It was just before Christmas and I found myself in the book store at the hospital.  I realized where I was and wondered why I was there.  I happened to look down at the children's books that I was standing in front of and saw a book of Christmas Carols.  I thought, "Lance really loves to sing and loves music, maybe this will cheer him up."  I took the book back upstairs and showed him.  He was so sick, he showed little interest.  I put my head down next to his on the pillow there in ICU and started softly singing carols to him.  I asked him if he wanted to sing along and he said, "I---can--'t---sing---I---can--'t breathe."  I told him that was OK and asked him if he wanted me to continue.  He nodded.  I was praying all the while asking God to either take him home and out of his misery or at least show me what to do to help him get better.  I started singing "Silent Night".  Then I heard this tiny breathless voice beside me...Si-i-lent night.  Ho-oly-night.  We sang all of the verses!  I was in tears, I turned to see all of Lance's nurses and doctors, who had done all they could to help Lance, standing around in tears as well.  From that time on, Lance grew in strength.  He was in intensive care until the end of January, and came home just before Valentine's Day.
THAT blew my faith up SO BIG!
The third time, involves Lance as well.  Two years later, I was to give Lance one of my kidneys.  We had gone through an intensive 2 years of testing etc.  At the time they took Lance's kidneys out we had great compatibility, but because of the incident in his last surgery and having to have many units of blood, the day before the surgery was to happen, they came to me in  my hospital room and told me that the compatibility was no longer there, but they had a new procedure they wanted to try.  They took blood from me and gave it to Lance.  We had gone through so much and Lance's hopes were so high that he would no longer have to come to the treatment center 3 days a week for 4 hours of dialysis, and be on an insanely strict diet; the thought of having to tell him that all of it was for naught broke my heart!
Again, I went to the Lord as a broken mom and pleaded with the Lord for His best for Lance.  Later that night...around midnight, the doctor came to me and told me that compatibility had been restored.  We did the transplant the next day and 10 days later I came home to recover.  Lance had to stay.  About a week later, Dick came home one night very distressed.  He said that Lance was extremely ill and the doctors thought that the kidney had died.  He said we would both have to go to the hospital the next day, as they were going to do a biopsy.
I remember going out on our porch on the crisp September night, looking to the sky and saying, "Lord, if this is a test to see if I not only trust You for my salvation, but also trust You with my son...I trust You.  If this kidney needs to come out, so be it.  You know best, I do not."
The next day, we were headed up in the elevator to the 6th floor of Strong Memorial Hospital.  At the fourth floor, I heard a kid singing at the top of his lungs, "Jesus loves me this I know".  I turned to Dick and said, "That's Lance!"  He looked at me with tears and said, "Honey, don't!  You have no idea how sick Lance is.  He can't even lift his head off the pillow and has tubes running out of him everywhere.  That can't be him."
The door opened just as Lance was being wheeled down the hall in his bed, propped up on one elbow.  He said, "Hi, Mom and Dad! I'll be back in a bit." and started singing again!
Our God and Savior is SO big!  Bigger than we can ever imagine!  My faith grew exponentially!
The kidney was sick, but not dead.  Miraculously, he could have another round of steroids and radiation treatments.  He kept the kidney for a year before they had to take it out.
There are SO many more stories...

That You May KNOW!

1 John 5:13 "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

         My Sweet Lord, You gave methese words because You wanted me to have peace, comfort, hope, assurance, and confidence in my salvation.  You didn't want me to wonder, fear, or be confused.  You want me to KNOW and to rst in that promise because without that concrete knowledge, You know I would not be a bold witness or couragious warrior of the cross.
          Sadly, this brings me back to several conversations I have had where I have asked, "If you were to die right now, would you know that you would go to heaven?", and have gotten the answer that no one can know for sure until they die.  All of those folks were deceived into thinking that You have a great scale in heaven where You weigh the good and bad things they have done.  If there are enough good to outweigh the bad, they can get in.  I have shared Your verses with them that prove that works will not accomplish what they think they will, but salvation is in You and YOUR work FOR them on their behalf.
           The good thing is that because of these verses, I have been able to dispell that myth for them and share the truth.  The sad thing is, to my knowledge, only one has ever believed You.  Lord, I pray for all of them today, and for all who I have not been able to share with too, for these are the hardest ones with whom to  witness.
           Lord, and precious savior, THANK YOU for loving me, saving me, assuring me, and allowing me to live eternally with You in Heaven, Your home!

He Who Has the Son Has Life

1 John 5:11-12 "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

           My Sweet Savior!  What a precious promise.  This is so simple..why do we make it so complex?  Before I was saved, I thought I had life.  Oh, I had human life, but not eternal life.  Now I look back and know that I didn't because I was terrified of death.  The moment I truly believed and yeilded my soul to Your keeping and asked You to be Lord, my fear of death disappeared.  I finally realized that all that was "me" inside this shell of a body would live forever with You.  That was such a precious blessing!
         I know there are countless "church goers" who think they have life too...but they have never had the "Son".  They are the saddest of all, for they are the ones who think they will hear, "Well done my good and faithful servant."  but instead will hear You say "Depart from me, I never knew You."  They will plead and tell You all of the good things they did in Your name, but will be banished to an everlasting hell, separated from the God they thought they were serving.  I pray for all of them today, that You will send someone to them, like You sent someone to me, to share the truth with them before it is too late.

Don't Call God a Liar

I John 5:10 "All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son." NLT

   Lord Jesus, You, the Father, and the Spirit have given the world the best valentine ever!  I humbly thank You that I now have this testimony in my heart.  Even before I did, I believed there was a God, but did not understand that if I did not believe in You that I was calling the Father a liar.  I thank You that the day I trusted You as Savior, You forgave that sin!

God's Testimony is Greater Than Man's

1 John 5:7-9 "For there are three that testify: The Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three are in agreement.  We accept man's testimony, but God's is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son."

           Lord, You have said in the Law that if there was an accusation of a sin or crime, there had to be at least two witnesses to prove the truth.  Here John is telling us that there are more than enough witnesses to prove You are indeed the God-Man, were God before Your incarnation and remain God for all eternity future.
          I believe God's testimony because, since You saved me, I know the one true living God who is the witness.  God does not, and cannot lie.  For those who do not know Him this appears as foolishness to them.  The testimony of man can be questioned because we can, and do, lie as evidenced in the trial against You.  If we could not lie and give false testimony, the word purgery would not appear in any language here on earth.
        I derive such comfort and strength in the knowledge that You are truth.  The Trinity IS truth, and the testimony of any of the three can be believed without question.  Thank You, Lord for that comfort and encouragement each and every day.  In this  world ruled by the Father of Lies, I can KNOW the truth!

Jesus, God From Eternity Past to Eternity Future

1 John 5:6 "This is the One who came by water and by blood-Jesus Christ.  He did not come by water only, but by water and by blood.  And it is the Spirit who testifies, becaue the Spirit is truth."

               Lord, I understand that there was a false teaching at the time John wrote this that taught that You only became God when the Sririt decended on you at baptism making you Christ and then left You at Your death.  It is sadly amazing what Satan will propose to the human mind to delude them into believing a lie.  He really does not care what we believe as long as we do not believe the truth.

             The truth is: You are God before time, were virgin born by the Spirit, that You are god-man at conception and remained so even at, and after, Your death on the cross, and the very reason You did all of this was to be God's perfect sacrifice to pay for the sins of the whole world, forever saving us from sin and Satan's grasp, making it possible for us to spend eternity in heaven with You. 

            Lord, I am humbled and ever so grateful that You Spirit lifted the veil of my understanding so I could see the truth.
             

Believers in Jesus Have Overcome the World

1 John 5:4-5 "for everyone born of God has overcome the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomedthe world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

      Lord, why is the world such a draw to us?  Before we are saved it is all we know and our old nature thrives in it.  In our sinful state we thrive on anything that will thrill our "self": attention, power, prestige, pleasure, entertainment,self-pity, self-righteousness, honor, greed, as well as self-agrandizement.  "Self" is the center of our universe.
         When I trusted You as Savior and Lord, my "self" was crucified with You.  That means I am now free of "ME"!  THAT is the victory.  Because of that, I am free of the lure and pull of the world and all it offers.  I am no longer OF this world, just in it.  I am no longer a citizen of Satan's realm.  This world is not my home.  Hallelujah!
       I am free to love others unconditionally, to surrender my will to Yours (which is so much better than mine anyway), free from the idea that this world is all there is so I need to "grab the gusto", because "You deserve a break today", and after all"You can have it your way". 
      I am free to follow Your plan  because Your are in my future and know what is best.  I am free to love my husband, children, and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and even unbelievers with a far deeper love because "I" am no longer in the way.
       Thank You, Lord, for taking "me" out of the spotlight with all of its posing and posturing so I can worship You in all of Your glory and splendor.  I know that if I am not watchful and diligent, "I" will jump back up on the throne.  Lord Jesus, keep me watchful.  You paid far too high a price for me to do otherwise!  Besides, if following You and obeying Your commands in this life becomes hard and I get tired, You have promised to come alongside and help:
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Love God, Love Jesus, and Obey His Commands

1 John 5:1-3 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well,  This is how we know that we love the children of God:by loving God and carrying out His commands.  This is the love for God: to obey His commands.  And His commands are not burdensome."

       Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Christ, so I am born of God.  That is an amazing and staggaring thought!  What a wonderful truth this is!  I do not want to just pass by it without deep meditation on what that entails.
       Children born of a father will resemble him in their appearance and in their characteristics.  Children born of God the Father will show forth His likeness and characteristics as well: holiness, purity, righteousness, truth, love, selflessness, and unchanging predictability.  Of course just as babies grow into the likeness of their father by observing him, we too grow into Your likeness over time and study of You.
      Because I love the Father, I would love You too because You are one.  Before I came to trust Your work on the cross for my salvation, I knew OF the Father.  I knew there was a God that had created the world and had done some special things back in the Old Testament, and I had learned some of the stories of what You did in Your earthly ministry here, but You both seemes so detatched, like a sepearate reality, if that makes sence.  I sang about You and the Father and could quote John 3:16 with the best of them, but never got the understanding of sin and how that grieved You.  I did not know Your plan for the world, or Your puropose for my life.  I didn't know that is is You who control history or that You were involved in our lives at all.
        WOW!  All of that changed that day when You lifted the veil from my eyes and showed me all of the beautiful truth. And Hallelujuh for that change.  Now I understand that love and obedience go together.  If I love You I will obey Your commands.  Your command is to love all others in Your Family the way You loved me and gave myself for me in the most selfless act in all of history!  If I love You, Your commands are not burdensome, but a delight!

We Must Love Our Brothers

1 John 4:21 "And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must love his brother."

      Lord, Your command has the word "Must" within it.  It doesn't say "should"' or "might", or "it is preferred that they", or "it would be a great idea if they", or even "it would please Me greatly if they would".  No, this verse says that whoever loves God MUST  also love his brother.
        I know that in my flesh, I take this command as a suggestion not a direct command.  Oh, Lord!  Please forgive me!  If I saw You standing or sitting with me while I dealt with a brother who was acting in an unloving way, I would treat them in a loving way.  Or if I was able to SEE You in them, the same would be true.  Well, Lord, the truth is that You ARE always with me and You DO live within them, (even if they are acting in a carnal way at the moment), so there are no good excuses not to obey this command..  There can only be confession and repentance.
          Lord, may I never forget that.  Convict me quickly, Lord!  And may I never become self-righteous and offended if that same unconditional love is not returned by my Family member.

Am I a Liar?

1 John 4:20 "If anyone says, "I love God", yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."

      Lord, this is quite a conviction  on Your church today.  Your children fight in church over the slightest things, cheat on and divorce their mates,  parents show wrath and even hate for one another and their children at home and then act sweet and loving at church.  Then we wonder why our teens leave church as soon as they are old enough and rebel against You.
      Lord, You have told us that hypocrisy is evil no matter where and when it is manifested and in this case can have eternal consequences.  I can SAY anything about my love for you, but if I do not love my brothers, (saved mate, children, co-workers, and neighbors)  unconditionally as You love them, I lie and deceive myself.  Now that can be very scary!
     I do love You, Lord, and I confess I don't always show unconditional love to my brothers.  Help me, Lord to be more like You.

We Love Because He First Loved Us

1 John 4:19  "We love because he first loved us."

         My Sweet Lord!  Without You there would be no love because You ARE love.  You first created because You are love.  You could have created the earth in all of its beauty for Yourself and just been done.  BUT, You created man, and in YOUR image, making it possible for us to love You and to love others.
You created a beautiful garden, man sinned, and in love You blocked the way back into that garden so they could not eat of the tree of life and have to live forever in their fallen state in a sin cursed world, and in love You promised them a savior.
         After all of these years, the mystery for me is still  the WHY?  Why did You do that when You knew we would neither love You nor love each other in our sinfull selves.  Why would You volunteer in eternity past before creation to be our sacrificial Lamb?  I know it is because You are love, but I can't get my mind wrapped around love that is that big!
          Help me today and every day to love You and my fellow man more, since I now have that capacity due to Your gift to me of Your love.

Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

       Lord, I know without a doubt that You have that perfect love for me.  It is more than a comfort , it is my peace and confidence.  When I was a child,when I did something wrong, I was not just fearful, but was actually terrified of the punishment I might receive.  Of course that was thinking as a child thinks.  I thank You that I was never beaten mercilessly, locked in a scary basement, or any of the other horrible things some other children have experienced at the hands of their parents or caregivers.
         There is a big difference in the words discipline and punishment.  Discipline involves correction and training for the purpose of helping someone become better.  The word "disciple" describes it best.  The word punishment has a far stronger and far less loving meaning.  It means a penalty inflicted for an offense, fault, etc., severe handling or treatment, like what Paul said in Romans, that the wages of sin is death.
        When I trusted Your marvelous work for me, paying the wages I  deserved  with Your perfect sacrifice on my behalf, the fear of that punishment died too.  I no longer fear death because I know there will be no eternal punishment.  I also know that You lovingly discipline me to make me better.  You do not "punish" your children (even if You have to use drastic discipline).
          Lord, today I pray for those who live in fear.  It is "natural" for us to fear some things.  If I were confronted by a bear in my back yard, was in a car on a bridge that was collapsing, or we were being invaded by an evil military force, or caught in a tornado or earthquake, I would be afraid!   However; You have said not to fear what can happen to the body, but what will happen to our eternal soul.  I need not be afraid of what will happen to my eternal soul, because it will be with You in Heaven.  Thank You, Lord for Your sacrifice!

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