The One Jesus Loved, Day 6 Eternal Life. As we read through 1 John 2:18-29, we see many references to the truth and ensuring that people understand the truth. Then we have this verse about God’s promise, eternal life. John has had a lot to say about truth and eternal life. When we look at his gospel we see that Jesus Christ is the truth. John 14:6 explains that very clearly. We cannot have truth apart from Jesus Christ. So then, what is the eternal life that God has promised us? We see the answer in John 17:3. Eternal life is knowing Jesus Christ. As we are living in the…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 5 God’s will. Are we focusing on God’s will? Read 1 John 2:12-17. Throughout these verses we see a number of reasons why John is writing all the words that he’s writing. He wants us to be able to understand Christ better and to be able to follow him more closely. John doesn’t want us to be enticed and fall away because of the lusts of the world. John knows that God’s will is the only thing that matters and the only thing that brings joy in this life. Are we seeking God’s will and are we following it? How can we follow after God…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 4 How we live should match what we say. As we read 1 John 2:3-11, we read about the love for others that we are to have. Why? We live because Christ loved us. Does the love for others that we display look like the love that Christ has for them as well? Do we see and treat others the way Christ sees them and would treat them? As we think about our relationship with other people, we must recognize that we are to demonstrate Christ to everyone we are around. We are to treat people the way Christ treats them. We are to see…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 3 The payment. Our sins require a payment. There must be restitution to make things right. But, we can’t make it. Read 1 John 2:1-2. As we start this chapter, we remember that Christ forgives us of our sins, from the last chapter. But more than that, Christ paid for our sins. Christ became the payment and restitution that was owed. He was the only one who could meet the price demanded. And, he didn’t just pay for my sins, he paid for your sins. He paid for everyone’s sins. However we each have to accept his sacrifice on our behalf. How can we continue…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 2 Don’t lie. Many of us have heard this commandment from the time we were young. Read 1 John 1-5-10. As John is sharing here, we see an interesting form of lying. People were lying to themselves. They would tell themselves they were good and they didn’t sin and that they didn’t need Jesus. Yet, lying is still lying, even if it’s to ourselves. We all need Jesus. We all have sin. The Bible is very clear on both of those counts. Here, we see the importance of understanding that we must be honest with ourselves that we sin. Sometimes, we don’t want to admit…

The One Jesus Loved, Day 1 The one Jesus loved. Throughout the gospel of John, that is how John refers to himself. He doesn’t want to write his own name, so he just calls himself the one that Jesus loved. We are going to take some time going through John’s writings as he shares what it truly means to love. Read 1 John 1:1-4. These opening verses set the stage for the rest of the book. We don’t really know what prompted John to write, but he gives this reason in verse 4. John is writing to make joy complete, not just in his life, but in the lives of…