1 John 4:4

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Encouraging Words

There are many who proclaim that they follow Christ and yet they do not know Him or follow His ways. God has promised us that if we follow Him, submit to Him, and strive to love like Jesus loved, that we are in Him and that through Him we will overcome those who oppose Him. This is true because He is greater than those who are in the world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner!

1 John 3:18

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Personal Challenge

John does not mince any words about the Christian’s responsibility to love others. He clearly reminds us that we cannot just talk about loving others. We must, if we are truly followers of Christ, demonstrate His love for others the way that He would. This means that if they make us uncomfortable by their choices, or do things that we disagree with, or they stand for issues that are in opposition to what we believe, or whatever ,we still love them. Love is a choice followed by an action. Sometimes that love is demonstrated by backing away from toxic situations so that we do not stir up others, and do that in love. Being a true follower of Christ is a verb and never a noun. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 John 3:16

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Personal Challenge

We know and appreciate the true value of real love by recognizing that Jesus loved us so much that He laid down His life for us. This is the truth that we base our entire life on. This truth also leads us to do the same for Him and those whom He brings into our lives. We are to love one another as Christ loved us. Living this way is always a challenge in this world, but we do it for Him. Glory be to God!

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Encouraging Words

The faithful followers of Christ are deemed to be called children of God. We have God’s love bestowed upon us to the point that we are His children, His offspring. What a blessing this is to be considered a part of God’s eternal family. This also brings the challenge that if we strive to live as His children, the world will not know us any longer and even shun us. This is such a small price to pay in order to be accounted as a child of God. Glory be to God!

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.

Personal Challenge

This world is a challenging place to live. And for those who are trying to live godly lives and follow in the footsteps of Christ find it even more challenging. The world does not want Christ and therefore does not want His followers. By the grace #God, however, we will prevail. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 John 2:7

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

Encouraging words

Jesus fulfilled all of the commandments, the law, of the old covenant. He taught that the essence of that law could be boiled down into two commandments, love our God with all our heart, soul, body, and spirit, and love our neighbor as ourselves. John has been reiterating this new covenant, and reminding us that he is not teaching us something new, but reinforcing what Jesus taught. Our lives should not only be informed by love, but transformed be love. We should be striving to be as loving as Jesus was. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 John 2:4-6

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Personal Challenge

It has been said that we are known by the company that we keep. John challenges us to understand that just saying that we know Jesus is not enough. Do we keep company with Him enough that people see Jesus in us and in our actions. Are we followers of Jesus in word only or has our life been changed enough that we are being identified as “in Him”? The core essence of being “in Him” is love. Love for our God. Love for our neighbor. This love must be evidenced in how we show our love to others. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Encouraging Words

Who is it that forgives us of our sins? God, and God alone. We are charged here to confess our sins to our Lord in order to receive is His forgiveness, which He gives fully and freely. In the Orthodox faith practice we have the practice of confession. It is clearly taught that our priest is not the one who forgives our sins, neither does he absolve us of our sins. He is there to fulfill another admonition in the scriptures to “confess our sins to one another”. Our confession and subsequent forgiveness is between God and us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

1 John 1:5-7

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Encouraging Words

Jesus is light, the light of God shining into this dark and dreary world. His light is warming and encouraging, especially in those times when we feel overcome by the darkness around us. His light is illuminating, revealing to us those dark areas in our lives that we need to purge so that we can live for Him. We can choose to live in His light or stay in the darkness, but life is only in His light. Glory be to God!