1 John 5 ~ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him

1 John 5

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 

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

6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 

10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.

Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

This Chapter has not always been comfortable to me.
John lives in a cave and talks about seeing Jesus in Heaven by vision. John has cared for an elderly woman of distinction - Mother to the Messiah. Fleeing their homeland to change nations. Being exiled by the Emperor to a nice island, but exiled. John never married and lived a very long and happy life. In the second century, people went to Patmos to visit him for his opinions on Jesus. John was unusual and put his life on the line to be there for Jesus on Good Friday. A kind man, but never married and in this Chapter he goes on about blood - seemingly a lot.


When Jesus healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda, where the man had been for 38 years, and Jesus forgave his sins and told him to take up his pallet and walk - there was no blood.

When 10 lepers were healed and one man turned back to give thanks - there was no blood.

When Jesus healed a man privately of being deaf - there was no blood.

We are certain Good Friday had blood. It's something people who love Jesus weep about. A man who caused the blind to see and the deaf to hear and even the poor had Good News - bled and gave His Life. God gave His own Life.

Why is the Blood important to John. Scriptures are clear a Covenant has Blood.

John makes a good point.
So many were healed during the life of Jesus - what were their names? Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus the one recorded and was ready to follow Jesus. The man at the Pool of Bethesda turned Jesus into the Temple officials for incorrect healing. Nine Lepers didn't bother to thank Jesus. The deaf man healed with such care - never was written in Scriptures, we know of, again.

The 10 Disciples of Jesus - Ran off and hid.
12 men were saved from shipwreck. One betrayed him, took silver, bought a lot which became a foreigner's graveyard and hung himself. Peter was freely given his tax money in a miracle. Peter was freely given a landslide Profit of unbelievable fish. Peter had a family member healed. Peter denied Jesus after telling Jesus He is Messiah of God. Peter told Jesus He has the Word of Life. Peter ran and hid and denied.

When Good Friday arrived, it looked like a great opportunity for the Disciples to donate life blood on Roman Government terms.

Jairus received his daughter back from death and never is recorded again. The widow of Nain is not recorded doing any extra mile of thank you's.

Blood.
One day the Disciples were remembering Elijah could call down fire and suggest Jesus might want to terminate some rude Samaritans.

Jesus knew something about the Samaritans. Not only was Herod a Samaritan, several tribes would show up in this century telling us Samaritans, while told to be outside the Law, were actually the remnant of The Babylonian Exile God said He would provide.

Jesus. Usually the one with the most skin in the game is going to be wearing Camel Skin, eating Locusts and Yelling about the Law and the Priests. And maybe having some panic at end of game in Herod's jail. When Jesus had the perfect, perfect, perfect opportunity to create the devotion for "Home Team Allegiances" Jesus decided not to bring down fire on the Samaritans as He headed for Jerusalem.

Didn't Jesus realize He was watering down His backup? We know He did.


Joy.
Mercy
Gracious Grace.

Jesus had three very poignant things to say about Mankind.

1. Proverbs 8 says looking into mankind - delighted God the Father and Jesus Christ.
2. John 2:24-45 Jesus did not entrust Himself to mankind knowing what was in mankind.
3. John 3:17 God wants to save the entire world in Jesus Christ.

Jesus overcame the world. Day in and day out. Blood was always on the line for Jesus. His parents made sure infant Jesus was allowed to be born and survive infancy and childhood trauma.

Jesus said Life Holds Joy.

John speaks of the importance of more than skin in the game.
 John was willing to put his own life blood on the line on Good Friday. John would come to realize all of the Disciples would eventually put their life blood out for Jesus, Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God.

Jesus did trust His Disciples. Jesus allowed them to be exactly who they were. Peter might be compared to Habanero.

Jesus expected to ultimately find Fruit of the Spirit. He was willing to see the flowers and fruit mashed down in the Seeds Parable.

James and John once asked Jesus to sit on the Right Hand of God. Mary was the one who rushed in through the watching crowds and would save God. It's probably pretty clear, if you are rushing in to Save God, where you sit in the hereafter Eternal.

God the Almighty, never once shut down the unique imprint of each part of mankind. God said let there be free will.

Because when The Fruit of the Spirit is collected, God expected to find and serve A Feast Worthy of His Son in His Kingdom. Jesus spoke of Vineyards. Jesus was said to be a Glutton. The truth is Jesus was allowing all to bear fruit and find their own Talents in God.

Jesus anticipated the Banquet of God.

And as God Provided the Banquet, He expected to bring a ring and a robe.

Jesus knew Covenant. Joy. In all seasons. Steadfast Love in all conditions. Jesus has looked into mankind.

Abba,
In the Name of Jesus Christ. We Give You our Thanks.
Amen in the Highest Name of Jesus.
Name above All Others. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †  

1 John 1 ~ The Life was made manifest

1 John 1

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—

2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us

— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

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


5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

John never forgot the Transfiguration. He had seen Jesus talk with Moses, Elijah and had witnessed the Voice of God with Peter and his brother James. For John, all he had witnessed in the miracles had been clearly explained. John 1.

What had John witnessed?

Seen and touched. God.

God is manifested. Here before; now realized and solid. Fellowship.

What is Fellowship with God.
Joy. Complete Joy. Three Chapters of John has Jesus explaining being here has been - Joy.

John's Defining Moment?

LIGHT.

Matthew 17
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Like Isaiah to be near God is to realize How Holy and High God is. And how far we are from His Holiness.

Both Isaiah and John telling of God Himself making a bridge to His Holiness.


John 12:44-45

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.


God desired to reach out to John and his brother James. And Peter. Our God, God the Almighty was parting another curtain for these Disciples.  He could have done this with many, many messages and approaches. God our Father uses Light, His Voice and Joy. Inclusion. Life.

Just as Revelation 1  John's Beloved Friend, Jesus, returns after sixty years.

The message is simple. Joy. Love. Peace. Jesus changes lives.


Abba, Father,

You change lives. You save the world. You are Father, our God and You give us Jesus. We are blessed. In Your willingness, we are saved, redeemed and Blessed.

Joy to the World - The Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. And Heaven and nature sing.

John recognized the Lord God Almighty - God is Love. Thank You for what You have brought us.

Let the Light of Jesus Christ be in us shining brightly and in those we Love.

Let the Voice of His Word fill this Nation trusting in God. Let the Brightness of God to all of the Nations fill the good creation with Joy. And have all of His Children, pray with God's Love dwelling within, for more of His Beloved Eternity, Heaven dwelling on this earth and His good Will completed.

Blessed to be New Covenant.

Live, move and have our Being in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †  

Psalm 139 ~ Lead us in the way of everlasting

Psalm 139

A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!


David considered God would lead him in the way of God's Everlasting Life. And David considered God to be in every aspect of David's Life. To be enfolded in God as we would consider ourselves to live on this earth, as part of the universe.

Indwelling in the Plan of God. God, larger than we could possibly consider.
Father God concerned with all of us. Very intimately and very loving. Your Father God is shown in the exact nature of Jesus Christ.

David would dwell all of his life living, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

How do we know? All of the Psalms were either of David or sung in the Temple.

Psalm 102:26
They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing, you will change them and they will be discarded.

David knew the earth was God's and temporary.

2 Samuel 7:16
And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.

Since Genesis people of faith have understood God is a Living God and God of the those Living in Eternity.

Genesis 26:24
And that night the LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”

People of faith have lived enfolded in God. The Power of God and the knowledge of Scripture as Power in His Word.

Isaiah 44:3-5
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring

Isaiah cries out the love of the generations to follow. This is the Same Holy Spirit from the Psalms to Isaiah.

Jeremiah 3:4,19
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth


The communion of the saints. Is not limited as God Himself is not limited. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are advocates in the Power of Prayer.

Abba, our Father God,

Psalm 69 is a Psalm of David and the Holy Spirit writes of the Book of The Living to record the righteous. 

Luke 10 tells us Jesus refers to the names of those written in Heaven. Surely all who are alive in Christ Jesus pray for one another. Love never ends.

Ephesians 3 tells us of families who live in Heaven and live on earth. We consider with awe and joy the idea of the parents holding on to the children and the great grandparents holding on to them. The tremendous circle of Love. And as prayer groups pray for children, parents, grandparents and even unborn children, we know we join together in the Living of Jesus Christ and pray for those we Love.

You are God. As Father, You have highly exalted Jesus and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Peter writes about God's Unity. Father, we have few of Peter's words and this was important to him.

1 Peter 3
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.

Father, we know Your Good Creation is circled with Prayer. How high and how wide. Is astonishing.

Jesus tells us in Ephesians 3 families live together in Heaven and earth.

Ephesians 3
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

1 Corinthians 13

Love never ends.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine

is the Kingdom

and the Power

and the Glory.

We thank You, Your people have known Your Glory always.

Isaiah 58:8
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Psalm 139
behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high.

Ephesians 6
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. 
To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, 
making supplication for all the saints



1 Timothy 3
You will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household,
which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and foundation of the truth.

By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.


Let us be one in the number of those proclaiming Jesus is God.
All Glory to God the Father. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †  

Psalm 91 ~ When he calls to me, I will answer Him

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand;
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your habitation,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will give his angels charge of you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will rescue him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,
and show him my salvation.



God is a God of the Body of Christ.

Abraham heard God and still had his own difficulties. Gideon heard God and still retired from duty; with God's permission.
David could understand God. Samuel asked God to not let his words fall.

Mary talked to Gabriel and still wondered as Jesus was a boy.

Paul met Jesus being blind and hearing God and never faltered.

Simon Peter walked with Jesus for 3 years and the New Testament in Acts 10, Peter is recorded for opening his mouth and wise and righteous words prevailed and still the Book of Acts records Peter had serious discussions over serious issues.

All of God's people are flawed and sin.

Love covers a multitude of sins. And allowing God in our heart to speak to us - causes us to do as Jesus said, "Rise."

Life is about one situation or another bringing the Prodigal Son to His Father.


Jesus told us what to do:


Abba, You are our Heavenly Father,

Holy, Holy, Holy. You have given us the Name of Jesus as Christ the Lord.

Your amazing and gracious Plan to give us Salvation. Let Your Kingdom and Your Plan be our daily delight.

We would Rejoice to see more of Your Heaven on this earth. And will be blessing seekers of Your Willing Provision of Blessings.

Give us this day. Help us to see how to build our lives and build up others.

Help us to be proper Stewarts of Your Gifts to us. Let us feed our body and souls with Your Blessings.

Forgive me please when the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart is not pleasing to You.

Let me be swept up in Gratitude from Your Love and mercy and give mercy to others.

Lead us far from temptation. Deliver us from evil. Help us to remember seeing Blessings removed is easier to see than seeing Steadfast Blessings. And have hearts of gratitude. Help us to encourage and strengthen our Blessings.

And as we believe, have been told Good News, and shared in the eyewitness of the faithful,
Yours is the Kingdom
Yours is the Power to uphold the Universe and All of Creation with Your Word.
And The Glory be to You, Loving Father.

In Jesus, Your Exact Nature,
We Rejoice Daily.
Jesus our Lord God. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †