The One Jesus Loved, Day 16 Final reminders. As we come to the end of this first letter that John wrote, he ends with several reminders. Read 1 John 5:13-21. John wanted the people to know and understand the truth of who God is. He just told them that if you have the son you have the life. So what does having the life mean? As we look at the importance of what it means to have life in Jesus Christ, we see so many reminders through these verses. We need to remember that we are children of Jesus Christ and at the rest of the world is evil. Sinners…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 15 Two choices. Today we see very clearly how to know that we have life. Do we have the Son or not? Read 1 John 5:5-12. As we read through these verses, we see very clearly how to understand whether or not we are a child of God. Do we have the Son? Or do we not? It really all comes down to our relationship with Jesus Christ. How are we relating to him and have we accepted and submitted ourselves to the his lordship in our lives? Only only by giving Christ our life and submitting to him in every area will we truly…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 14 Victory. We’ve seen the importance of love and the impact that Christ’s love in us can have on our own lives and also our interactions with others. Now we see an understanding of victory. Read 1 John 5:1-5. Of all the battles that we end up fighting in our life, we can have victory. However, it might not look like we are expecting it to look. We can have victory in Christ and through Christ. He is the one that overcomes. He is the one that provides victory. We cannot create our own victories, no matter how hard we try. Are we understanding the…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 13 Why do we love? John discusses this in 1 John 4:13-21. The only way in which we know how to love is because we have experienced the love that Jesus has for us. However, John goes even further in these verses to explain that the only reason that we understand why to love is because Jesus loved us. If we had not first experienced the love of Jesus, then we would not know why we should demonstrate love to others. We love because God first loved us. He loved us so much that he died for us. So, when we think about how we…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 12 God loved us with a purpose. Read 1 John 4:7-12. In today’s culture and society we talk a lot about love. We explain what love is and we define how we think love should look. Sometimes that includes trying to define what God’s love looks like. However, John clearly spells out God’s love for us. John knows how God loves because he has seen it first hand and experienced it himself. God loves in such a way to bring change and redemption. God loves people so much that he doesn’t allow them to stay the same and continue in sin. God loves people so…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 11 We are not of the world. Looking around me at everything the world has become, it’s so easy to become frustrated. But, I am not of the world. Read 1 John 4:1-6. I am not of the world. John makes it very clear that because we believe in Jesus Christ, we have nothing in common with the world anymore. Whether the world is on fire and things are going terribly or whether the world is seemingly not so bad right, either way we are not of the world. We are never gonna find our fulfillment or our satisfaction in what the world brings. But…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 10 We are to love in actions and in truth. As we read our verses today, 1 John 3:16-24, we learn some interesting truths about love. John commands us to love others in action and in truth, which means that it is possible to love people with just words and to love people in falsehood. We can love falsely. Love must be shown in the truth of who Jesus Christ is. If our love does not fall under his definition of truth and love, then it’s not really love. When we look around the world today, we see such an emphasis on loving one another…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 9 People may not like you. This may come as a surprise, but following Christ doesn’t mean that people will like you. In fact, some people may actually hate you. Read 1 John 3:11-14 John is discussing the importance of loving people in these verses, because loving others is what sets Christians apart from those who do not know Christ. The world is full of hate. We see that prevalent throughout our society these days as hate is rampant, especially across social media platforms. John is reminding the disciples that the quality that sticks out and makes other people realize that we are Christ followers…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 8 Jesus came to take away our sin. We are not condemned to remain in sin. Read 1 John 3:4-10. As we read through these verses, it can be really difficult to think about the fact that sinning means that we are from the devil. Sinning is completely opposite of who God is and what God does. But, the important truth is what we find right here in this verse. Jesus came to take away our sins. Because of Jesus, we can experience the true life that is found in him. We are not condemned to remain in our sin. We can be delivered and…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 7 Lavish. That is such an incredibly descriptive word. The father lavishes his love upon his children. Read 1 John 3:1-3. Regardless of what else happens in our lives, the fact that Jesus Christ and God the Father, the Creator of the universe, has allowed us to be called children is love that cannot be measured. This is how God lavishes his love upon us, by adopting us into his family through the blood of Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross for us, we become part of his family. Our life does not become easy and it does…