Taking a Look at 1 John

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”- 1 John 4:9-10 New Living Translation 

      Love explains many things. It explains why God created mankind, why he cares so much, why we are free to choose, why Christ had to die & why we received eternal life. God created us so we would be like him, so that he had a people to love & who would love him back. God cared because he loves his creation, both the righteous & the sinful. We’re given the freedom to choose what we believe & whom we believe in because God wants us to have a willing, free response to his love. Christ died willingly to provide the solution to man’s sin problem. Living eternally with our Lord is his way of showing us his love forever.

            God is absolute goodness, therefore, no immorality, no sin; no evil can abide in God’s presence. He cannot & will not overlook a person’s sin. He doesn’t condone it & will never excuse it as if it never happened. The whole idea of Christianity isn’t to see how close to sin we can get knowing that God will forgive us if we ask him to. The Lord is patient & kind however he expects us to live according to scripture. Do we HAVE to? No. But it’s what is expected of us based on the price that was paid for our redemption. To not live for Christ would be like receiving a really awesome gift, saying thanks, then setting it aside & never bothering to open it. That sounds silly but many people do that very thing when they receive Christ. They get the gift of salvation; yet never partake of all the blessings that come with being saved.

            When John wrote this letter most of the eyewitnesses that saw Jesus ministry had already passed away. That made his job a bit more difficult, not because the Holy Spirit couldn’t move upon the situation, but because those in the congregation were still human & prone to poor judgment. Hammering home repeatedly the fact that God’s only Son willingly came to bleed & die for all sin reaffirmed its reality. In the end, truth wins over lies every time because lies are inconsistent & are based on conjecture or flat out falsehood. Truth is based on the Word of God.  Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Taking a Look at 1 John

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”– 1 John 4:4-6 New Living Translation

            The evil that exists all around us can be very intimidating, but as John points out, we are “from God” and have nothing to fear. God is far superior in stature and power than any evil the devil could conjure up against mankind. False teachers thrive in ungodly environs because they speak words not of truth, but of what their listeners want to hear. This is another reason why we must be at least remotely knowledgeable when it comes to biblical understanding. No one is exempt from the heretical hook that can pull you away from God and toward faulty beliefs.

     Always remember, it’s not about what sounds good to us, it’s all about what is true according to God’s Word. That the Bible is God’s Word to mankind is one of the main tenants of faith that we must cling to. If you don’t believe that you may be in danger of falling into a trap of the enemy. 

     The main reason people outside our faith gravitate towards the seductive teachings of the heretic is that no one wants to have their sins pointed out to them. That is why Christianity is so widely unpopular to those outside our faith. We attempt to live a life that mirrors Christ’s and by our own words and actions imply judgment against those outside the faith. Know God’s Word, live God’s Word, guard your heart and love one another. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

Word for the Day

Taking a Look at 1 John

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”- 1 John 4:1-3 New Living Translation 

            John cautions the people to not believe everything someone says just because they say it’s from the Lord. This is where the gift of discernment comes into play. The Holy Spirit within can guide you into all things that are Godly. The thing we must realize is that anyone can say anything about anything at any time. It’s very important to know the source of the statement. Religiously speaking, what does the individual believe? Who do they put their faith in? There is a place for prophecy and words of wisdom and knowledge in God’s world, but not knowing the truth from a lie can be dangerous business. Does that being said match the word of God? Are they committed to a body of believers? Are they living for themselves or living for God? Is there fruit growing out of their ministries?

            Speaking a word from God is very serious business. To speak for him is to have the confidence and boldness to let your voice be heard at times in corporate settings; words that are straight from the mind of Almighty God. And he trusts you enough to present the word(s) without drama or a show. God is to be respected and viewed upon with awe.  

            Take note of those who profess to speak for the Lord. Do they have a legitimate air of humility or are they putting on an air of importance. These are all things we can spot, not with a judgmental eye, but the eye of someone who is seeking a ripe, sweet melon as women do in the grocery store. We must be fruit inspectors, not judges. God alone judges justly and fairly, yet with a necessary level of compassion. Be on guard for those who would seek to devour your soul. Know who you are in Christ and be careful where you go, what you see and what you hear.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: Life Application Study Bible.

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

Word of the Day

Taking a Look at 1 John

“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”- 1 John 3:19-24 New Living Translation

            Many believers are afraid they don’t love others the way scripture calls them to. They feel guilty because they think they aren’t doing enough. Their conscience bothers them. John has these people in mind when he wrote this letter. How do we escape our minds’ gnawing accusations? You can be sure it’s not by ignoring them or rationalizing our behavior. It would be by setting our heart on God’s love. Whenever we feel guilty, we need to remind ourselves that God knows the motives of our heart, as well as our actions. His voice of assurance is stronger than the accusing voice of our conscience. If we are in Christ, he will not condemn us.¹

            A person’s name in the Bible stands for his or her character. It will stand for whom he or she truly is. We are called to believe not only in the words of Jesus, but in his very person as well. To believe “in the name” simply means to model your life after Christ’s, thus becoming more like him in thoughts, words and deeds. If we go about living our lives like Christ we will “love one another”.

            If your conscience is clear, you can come to God without fear, confident that your request(s) will be heard. … You will receive if you obey and do what pleases him because you will be asking in line with God’s will. Of course this doesn’t mean you can have anything you want, like instant riches. If you are truly seeking God’s will there are some requests you simply will not make. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible                   

¹Romans 8:1 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, … .”

    Hebrews 9:14,15 – “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

Taking a Look at 1 John

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”- 1 John 3:16-18 New Living Translation

            While we are not expected to literally lay down our lives as in die, for the brethren, we ARE expected to help those in need, by giving of our time and resources. We are to give sacrificially of ourselves and that can be difficult at times. I know there are times when I don’t feel motivated to do much of anything at all. I suppose that would be considered selfish. I have a heart to help, but not the get up and go sometimes. I’ve struggled with that a long time. Progress can be slow. Perhaps it is difficult for John’s readers as well, as he needs to repeat the same topic frequently. I guess that only shines a light on our humanness.

            Our actions reveal our level of love toward others. How generous are we with our money, possessions and time. While love is an emotion or feeling, it is only truly revealed thru our actions. The parable of the Good Samaritan _{(Luke 10:25-37)}shows that unselfish action without need of any repayment is true love in action. That’s living like Christ.

            We are bombarded by worldly concepts and theories all day long. This is why it’s essential to feed our spirit man daily. Feast on the topics Christ found most important. Understand the importance of spending your time knowing the Lord, because if you don’t the things that are expected of you in his name become much more difficult. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Taking a Look at 1 John

“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. … Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”- 1 John 3:11, 15 New Living Translation

            John has been emphasizing the fact that love should be the main motivator for all we do as children of God. For that the world will think us strange and keep us at a distance in many cases. The world speaks of love as if they understand its meaning, but there always seem to be strings attached to worldly love. Selflessness isn’t common in an ungodly world. “People who are morally upright expose and shame those who aren’t. If we live for God, the world will often hate us, because we make them painfully aware of their immoral way of living.”¹

            Life is filled with all sorts of personalities, some which are inviting and others that are not so inviting. We are called to love them all, at least those in God’s family. That can be much harder than you think, especially if they are abrasive, contrary or type A*.  It could be said that we are to cut them all some major slack. It must also be said that we think we’re pretty normal; we’re blinded by our own definition of what normal is and therefore may be found to be difficult to associate with ourselves. Therefore, this is our challenge: love the unlovely and the lovely the same, whether inside or outside the family of God. Learn to look upon others as Christ would. He ignored no one. He greeted and treated all just the same, with the loan exception of those religious leaders, who were unforgiving, pompous pontificators of the OT Law with no mercy for their followers.

            Hatred is such an ugly word. Even the words to define it are ugly … INTENSE animosity or hostility; INTENSE dislike or enmity. These are the traits of an enemy. For those who hate, they are against all that is loving, pure and holy. They cannot be a representative of God in any way, shape or form due to their hatred. If you have feelings of hatred toward anyone, Christian or non-Christian, stop it right now, for you cannot reside with the Lord in eternity with hatred in your heart. Hatred is a sin and sin cannot abide with God. See others thru Godly eyes. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller            

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

* Defined as someone who displays some or all of the following traits: tenseness, impatience, aggressiveness, competitiveness, perfectionism and a sense of urgency.

¹Study Notes from 1 John 3:11 in The Life Application Study Bible on page 2814.

Word for the Day

Taking a Look at 1 John

“Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make apractice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.”- 1 John 3:7-10 New Living Translation

            Based on what we’ve looked at so far it is apparent that  John was very concerned his readers would fall into a trap laid by the false teachers (heretics) that were among them. His continued reference to living righteously, rather than sinfully is pronounced and somewhat repetitive. That’s okay, because the more something is said, the greater the chance the hearers will listen and apply what they are being told. Many times telling something once just isn’t enough.

            The key phrase in this paragraph is found in red … “a practice of sinning”. As I mentioned the other day, Christian’s will sin from time to time, but if they are truly born again they will feel real guilt, ask God for forgiveness and vow to not do that thing again. That is not practicing sin. This is how we can spot an imposter, by taking note of their lifestyle. Do they strive, as we should, to please the Lord with our thoughts, words and deeds or live as they choose with no regard to the Lord and his word? They talk the talk, but do they walk the walk? Are they striving to be like Christ or are they in the practice of sinning? We shouldn’t judge, but we CAN be fruit inspectors. 

            Sadly, there are many believers in Christ who are bullish in their approach to exhibit their faith. This turns off fellow believers and those we are trying to reach with the gospel. Some of us are incredibly judgmental. If we live a righteous life we will display patience, love and mercy to the brethren and those outside the family. We are no better or worse than anyone else. Study how Jesus lived … what he prayed, what he said to others and how he acted and reacted to daily situations. Then do likewise … within reason. Ask God to guide you thoughts, words, actions and reactions allowing everything to pass thru the filter of the Holy Spirit. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Word for the Day

Taking a Look at 1 John

“Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.”- 1 John 3:4-6 New Living Translation

         These verses beg the question, do Born Again, Spirit Filled Christians sin after their conversion? Let us start by saying everyone sins, even Christians after their conversion. We must understand the difference between a sin and habitual sinning. The former is a single event in time, which is still wrong, but not a total breakdown of morals in an individual. The latter is a lifestyle. Sin drives that persons life.  They may not be totally bad by most peoples standards, however the chances are high that they didn’t give their actions a single thought. A believer will feel a heavy dose of conviction, as administered by the Holy Spirit. Christians strive to follow Christ’s example and work hard to avoid sin.

            Christ was and is the only individual who was and remains sinless. This is because he is God. He was and is the epitome of love, grace, kindness, compassion and mercy. This is what I call a ‘role model’. Think of it … If everyone had a desire to be just like Jesus there would be no more war or crime … it would be almost like heaven. 

            Monitor yourself. Understand that as believers we may sin but there is always forgiveness for those who freely confess their disobedience to God and his word. We serve the Lord out of a desire to please him and aid in the expansion of God’s kingdom. We don’t serve him because we must. We are all given a free will to choose what we will believe. For those who come to understand their own sinful state, confess their need of forgiveness to the Lord and willingly accept his forgiveness once for all time, eternal life with God is theirs. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Taking a Look at 1 John

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”–1 John 3:1-3New Living Translation

            John is pointing out that the fact that God calling us his children shows how great his love is for us. The world thinks we are strange and by their standards we are. The world doesn’t know Christ and so they do not recognize us either. The fact is that we aren’t strange at all; we’re just different than they are. We answer to a different calling. We march to the beat of a different drum. We follow the lead of someone the world knows nothing about. Those who march to their own drumbeat cannot know the Lord at all. They must first surrender their will to the One who can cleanse them of all unrighteousness.

             As we grow we begin to slowly resemble the Lord. This takes place as we glorify him with our words and actions. Someday we will meet him in the clouds. Then we shall see him as he really is. What he is we shall be also. The children of mortal man take on the traits of their parents as they advance in years. Parents aren’t perfect, even Christian parents, so their children will not be perfect either. But when you are a child of God, though you are not literally perfect, you are made perfect in his eyes.

            This is the message John is conveying to his readers. They need to know God so closely, so intimately, that false teachers will not be able to take over their minds. They will see imposters for what they are as revealed to them by the Holy Spirit within. This holds true for all true believers all over the world. To know what is true you must know the One who always and only speaks the truth. Thatwe believe by faith. Almighty God is the only One who can speak and back it up with immutable action. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

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Word for the Day

Can you say a hearty AMEN to that?

Word of the Day

Taking a Look at 1 John

“Now, little children (believers, dear ones), remain in Him [with unwavering faith], so that when He appears [at His return], we may have [perfect] confidence and not be ashamed and shrink away from Him at His coming. If you know that He is absolutely righteous, you know [for certain] that everyone who practices righteousness [doing what is right and conforming to God’s will] has been born of Him.”- 1 John 2:28-29 Amplified Bible  

            “… true faith always results in good deeds, those who claim to have faith and who consistently do what is right are true believers. Good deeds cannot produce salvation_{(see Ephesians 2:8-9)}, but they are necessary proof that true faith is actually present.”_{(James 2:14-17) (1)}

                  John is once again stressing that his readers remain in Christ. Self-assessment time: Are you locked into Christ and all he stands for? Are you striving to be more like him in your thoughts, words and actions each and every day? You should ask yourself those questions every day. 

                  What exactly does ‘righteousness’ mean? By definition it means, to be “morally upright; without guilt or sin”; Christ is righteous and according to his word we stand as righteous before God because of what Christ did for us. That is worth more than anything this world can offer. If we practice living as Christ lived we will be living righteously by ‘doing what is right and conforming to God’s will’for our lives. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
(1) The Life Application Study Bible notes, page 2813.

Ephesians 2:8-9 New Living Translation– “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

James 2:14-17 New Living Translation–“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

Word for the Day

Taking a Look at 1 John

      “So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

         I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”-1 John 2:26-28 _{New Living Translation}

            The sole purpose of the false teacher is to lead believers astray. They attempt to create a more palatable solution to what can be perceived as restrictive living. Just as the serpent (Satan) placed doubts in the head of Eve, so the false teachers cause believers to doubt what they have believed. Eternal life hangs in the balance between the true and a lie. Their presentation can be persuasive, which is why we must be on our guard to remain in fellowship with both the Son and the Father.

            John reiterates in these verses that both his readers and we who serve the Lord today have rec’d the Holy Spirit. He will teach and guide us, but we must be listening with our spiritual ears. We don’t learn these things by osmosis, just as we learn nothing new by talking. We must make a concerted effort for it is the willing heart that matures the most quickly. 

            The best way to stay on the path God has set aside for us is to lean on the Spirit and remain in daily fellowship with the Lord. Without a certain level of discernment we will be more likely to slip into a spiritual coma, making us susceptible to the evil that lurks all around us. Hone your spiritual skills so as to avoid the crippling effects of doubt and indecision. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource:  www.biblegateway.com

Taking a Look at 1 John

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error]. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie [nothing false, no deception] is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? This is the antichrist [the enemy and antagonist of Christ], the one who denies and consistently refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son. Whoever denies and repudiates the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses and acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”- 1 John 2:20-23 Amplified Bible

            In these several verses John is differentiating between the true believer and one who is anti-Christ.  The Holy Spirit had anointed those who were truly followers of God’s word. That same holds true for us today. We, just like they, allowed ourselves to be taught, that our minds might be illuminated as to the things of God. The anti-Christ’s of the world were and are anyone who denies that Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God. An anti-Christ (not THE Anti-Christ), is anyone who is an enemy of Christ and his church. They deny the truth, refusing to acknowledge the true identity of Almighty God or his Son.

            I’m afraid too many people who call themselves Christians are of little use to the Father. While they aren’t anti-Christ, they really aren’t very pro-Christ either. ‘Christian’ is a label they place on themselves. They do believe there is a God and aren’t working against him. They are simply living their life without involving the Lord in it. God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, not just when you hit a wall. This is difficult for casual Christians to wrap their minds around. 

            What John is doing thru this letter is reassuring those he has led to Christ to stay the course. He hasn’t left them on their own, just as Christ has not left us alone. When faced with false teaching or other hardships we all need to be reminded what is true and what is false. It’s too easy to get swept away in a sea of emotion, but although we are emotional creatures, it is from the heart and soul that the weighty spiritual decisions must be made.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resource: www.biblegateway.com

REFLECTIONS FROM THE ROAD

                  Last week my wife and I were in Lancaster, PA for a couple days. Over the course of the time we were there a couple things rolled thru my mind. One was that whole area speaks of a simpler life. The Amish and the Mennonites live there. They are God loving people whose beliefs are very similar to ours. They believe in a strong family unit and their community of people help one another when someone is in need. Sounds pretty nice to me. It is a peaceful area away from the big city hustle and bustle that some folks crave. Not me, give me rolling green hills and fields of corn. Give me horse farms and cattle farms. There’s something to be said for that type of life. Maybe we’ll just have to move there sometime. 

            The other thing that rolled thru my head was my ugly habit of labeling people by their appearance. I’m much better than I used to be, but I still do it.  I’ll still go to heaven in spite of that flaw, but it sure doesn’t in the remotest way resemble Christ. Have you ever seen the original Frankensteinmovie with Boris Karloff as the monster? There is a scene perhaps half to two-thirds of the way thru where the monster is frantically stumbling thru the woods, running from those who would want to destroy him. He stops and listens … there is the sweet sound of a violin playing. He finds a lone cottage in the woods. In it is an old man. He is sitting by his fireplace playing his violin. The beauty of the sound mesmerizes the monster. He cannot speak but makes sounds that alert the old man he is there. It is just then that you notice the old man is blind. He plays host to this horrible creature, who has done terrible things and is hideous to the eye. The monster’s appearance does not adversely affect the man due to his inability to see. Let me stop there. THAT is how we are to be as followers of Christ. I have prayed that the Lord would help me to see others the way he sees them. Perhaps I’m not trying hard enough. By the way, the movie is worth watching for the scene I shared alone. God is good … all the time. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Taking a Look at 1 John

“Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.”- 1 John 2:18-19 New Living Translation

            Here in these two verses John speaks of not only the Antichrist, the many other antichrists that have appeared and shall be appearing. “The last hour”, which is shown to mean “the last days” in some sources, is the period after Christ’s ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. No other time periods are noted in scripture so the last days represent the period of time from Christ’s ascension until he returns. We are in the last days. There are still Biblical prophecies that must be fulfilled before the Lord returns for his church. John is pointing out that these antichrists are among them. This term refers to evil, oppressive rulers or priests down thru the ages. Adolf Hitler was considered by many Biblical scholars to be a type of antichrist because of his thoughts and actions against humanity. But none of these were The Antichrist, the unholy one that sets himself up against God himself.

            “Many ancient thinkers recognized that commitments that were insincere eventually became evident”.¹You will find an example of this in 2 Chronicles 12:13-14 which speaks of the evil King Rehoboam. Watch someone’s behavior long enough and you can discern their heart’s intention. I would classify that statement as a ‘Universal Law’, which actually would have nothing to do with spiritual things, but rather applies to all areas of life. Insincerity is kin to lying and damages ones integrity. Those who love the Lord and live according to his teachings will be able to spot these phony teachers and believers because their opposition to Christ’s teachings will eventually come into the light. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible & www.biblegateway.com

¹NIV Study Bible.

An example of an antichrist in scripture:“King Rehoboam firmly established himself in Jerusalem and continued to rule. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, a woman from Ammon. But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the Lord with all his heart.”- 2 Chronicles 12:13-14

Note:“the antichrist . . . many antichrists”. John assumed his readers knew that a great enemy of God and his people would arise before Christ’s return. That person is called “antichrist” (here), “the man of lawlessness” (2Th 2:3; but see note there) and “the beast” (Rev 13:1–10). But prior to him there will be many antichrists. These are characterized by the following: (1) They deny the incarnation (see 4:2 and note; 2Jn 7) and that Jesus is the divine Christ (v. 22); (2) they deny the Father (v. 22); (3) they do not have the Father (v. 23); (4) they are liars (v. 22) and deceivers (2Jn 7); (5) they are many (v. 18); (6) in John’s day they left the church because they had nothing in common with believers (v. 19). The antichrists referred to in John’s letter were the early Gnostics. The “anti” in “antichrist” means “against” (cf. 2Th 2:4 and note; Rev 13:6–7; cf. also Mt 24:4–5, 10–11, 15, 23–24).

Taking a Look at 1 John

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”- 1 John 2:15-17New Living Translation

            False teachers in any generation will tell you anything to get you to turn from the path you are on. John was emphasizing the fact that the world has nothing to offer his readers and will fade from view eventually. The false teachings that were in existence back then exist today as well.    

            Worldliness is thought of as external behavior – the people we associate with, the places we go, the activities we enjoy. While it IS that, it is also internal because it begins in the heart.  There are 3 attitudes that characterize worldliness: ¹⁾A craving or preoccupation with gratifying physical desires; ²⁾ craving everything we see / bowing to the god of materialism; ³⁾ the obsession with one’s status or worldly importance. In contrast, God values self-control, a generous spirit and a commitment to humble service. That’s quite a difference.

            Satan has been given dominion of this world. He subsequently took this world and distorted every realm of God’s creation. Both God and Satan know that this sin sick world is fading away. If you knew a business was going under would you invest in it? Then why invest in anything the world has to offer. Only the Lord can help us see thru and overcome these distortions and live lives that are pleasing to him.

            This world has already been marked for judgment and destruction. “The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.” – ^{John 12:31 NLT}   Those who know God and his word will live with him forever. Those who follow the path of the world will perish, never to be heard from or seen again. Just as it was back then, so it is today. Dark clouds of corruption and sin are enveloping this world so that it is nearly unrecognizable. Serving the Lord is the path to safety and peace. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller 

^{Resources: The NIV Study Bible; The Orthodox Study Bible; The Reformation Study Bible & www.biblegateway.com}

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2019!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; 

that among these are life, liberty, 

and the pursuit of happiness." 

Thomas Jefferson

2 Day Hiatus

       Taking a couple days to relax and regenerate the spiritual juices. The next devotional will be this Thursday, July 4th. Let us not only celebrate the birth of this great nation, but the grace which God has bestowed on all that are his. Be well ... Love you all.  rlkeller

Word for the Day