Life is a Test

A Series on the letter of 1 John
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 John 4 

[The author of this letter is John. Prior to being a disciple of Jesus, he was a fisherman with a reputation for his bad temper. In fact, he and his brother were called the “Sons of Thunder”. But he was also known as “the one whom Jesus loved”. In this letter, John shares that same love with us.]

  

Tests are expected in school. You learn a section on fractions… it’s followed by a test. You learn how to spell three syllable words… it’s followed by a test. You learn about World War II… it’s followed by a test. Tests are a way to find out if you actually learned the material, and what you need to work on.

 

Sometimes a test can be scary. This is especially true in college where your whole grade could very well depend on just two tests: a midterm and a final. If you have a bad day or miss the final, like I did once, your grade for the quarter or semester could drop dramatically.

 

Chapter four of 1 John is about tests. However, the result of John’s tests wouldn’t just impact a short period of your life, but your eternal life. Talk about scary!

 

During the first century, there were people who at one point had claimed to believe in Jesus, but then went astray. They didn’t believe that Jesus came in the flesh, only in the spirit. John warned the believers to be wary of these false prophets and gave them a way to test a person’s beliefs.

 

² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God…      NLT

 

This was a test about truth, but John also gave the believers a test about character based on the character of God’s love. His love for us and our love for him is exemplified by how we treat others.

 

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?                         NLT

 

John was known as “the one who Jesus loved”. He didn’t earn that love. In fact, like the other disciples, he deserted Jesus when he was crucified. But Jesus gives his love freely and unconditionally. Even when it is undeserved. Even at our worst moment.

 

⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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.           NLT

 

Life is a test. John faced them. First century Christians faced them. We face them. Those tests may come in the form of what you believe or how you treat others. But they may also come through an illness, an accident, a broken relationship, an addiction, problems at work… anywhere that life happens.

 

So the question for you and me is, “How will we respond”? Will your love for God strengthen or weaken? Will you learn from your tests and grow in your faith? John gives his own personal answer with these words.

 

¹⁶ We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. ¹⁷ And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the Day of Judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.                     NLT

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

First Responders

1 John 4:7-19

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%204%3A7-19&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

In high school, there was this kid named Blake who was a bully; a bad kid. On the other hand, I tried to get along with everyone; a good kid. The good and the bad were about to get ugly.

 

One day after school, Blake and I ended up on the athletic fields behind the school. I wouldn’t fight anyone because I was a chicken, but Blake bullied me into it. By the time I had pinned him to the ground, another student came along and said he’d take over. Blake didn’t have many friends, and I was happy to be done.

 

I don’t remember disliking Blake. For the most part, he was off my radar until this incident. One thing for sure though, I avoided him from that point forward.

 

John wrote his letter to address false teachers of the day. They didn’t believe that Jesus was the incarnate son of God. Instead, they believed that the body was evil, so in their minds, God couldn’t come in human form. As a result, some would treat their bodies harshly while others lived licentiously without moral constraint.

 

⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God,

but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us… ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.            NIV

 

God loved us while we were still a sinner; His enemy really. Blake comes to mind. Maybe if instead of avoiding him I had tried to befriend him, we both would have changed. Or maybe I just would have got my butt kicked.

 

The question for us is, how do we treat those that God has brought into our lives? Do we love them because He loved us? Or do we avoid them because they are annoying? Or mistreat them because they offended us in some way? Or do we manipulate them because we want something?

 

Take some time to think about your relationships and how you treat others: your family, friends, co-workers and even strangers. Are you loving others because He first loved you? Are you one of God’s first responders to share His love?

 

 

Your Best Gift Ever

(Love: The 4^th and final devotional on Advent.)
 

1 John 4:7-12
(Use the link below to read the verses.)

 

 

What was your best Christmas gift ever?

 

For me it was a Ford F150 pick-up truck! Never thinking that my wife would actually do it, I had been bugging Debbie either for a pickup truck, or a Mazda Miata. Low and behold, there was a full sized F150 parked in our driveway that Christmas morning with a bow on it.

 

For Debbie, her best Christmas gift ever was a diamond ring. Originally it had been her Step Mom’s engagement ring. When she passed, her Father had it made into a man’s ring. Following his passing, it sat in our lock box for years until I took the diamond and had a ring designed especially for Debbie’s Christmas.

 

Gifts are an important part of how we celebrate Christmas. Whether it’s as big as a truck, or as small as a ring, giving gifts to those we love, to show our love, can be very meaningful.

 

The original gifts of Christmas - Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh – were given in love to the child Jesus; the son of God; the creator of love.

 

^8b…for God is love.  ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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.    NLT

 

Over 2000 years ago, God sent you and me the best gift ever! It’s better than a Ford F150, or even an irreplaceable family heirloom. The baby Jesus grew into a man who gave his life so that you and I might live ours. He promised an abundant life on earth, and life without end in the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.

 

He is your best gift ever!

 

 

 

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%204%3A7-12&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

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