1 John 4:15-19 – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.” NASB

In these few verses, there are several life-changing truths that I want to highlight and discuss briefly:

• The Way to God – – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
• God Is Love – – “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
• As He “is,” So Are We IN THIS WORLD – – “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
• Love Defeats Fear – – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
• God’s Love Draws Us to Him – – “We love because He loved us.”  The New King James says it better – “We love Him because He first loved us.”

Today, we will consider number four – “Love Defeats Fear.”

Consider what the passage says: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts our fear; because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” 

First, we know that God IS Love; therefore, fear cannot reside in God, and God lives in us.  That means that fear cannot reside in us if we allow God to live “in” us and “through” us.  David said in Psalm 56:3 – “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” NKJV

 Isaiah declared it a little differently in Isaiah 12:2 – “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the LORD is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ NKJV David said when fear comes, “I will trust You, Lord.”  Isaiah said, “I will trust and not be afraid.”  With David, it is as we are most of the time – “Fear then trust.”  With Isaiah, the call was to “Trust and not fear.”

God’s love “banishes” fear, for it is a foreign element in the Kingdom of God!  If God is the ALMIGHTY, then what is there to fear?  If the devil somehow manages to “kill us,” what has he done?  Nothing; we are then translated into our “new bodies” and enter into the presence of the Lord.  If we somehow lose everything we possess here on earth, did God not feed the Children of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness and Elijah with the Ravens and the 5,000 and the 4,000 in miraculous fashion?  God is our source, not man, government, local church, or denomination.  God! 

Punishment is gone from our lives in the sense that we will not face eternal punishment because we are “walking with the Lord,” “covered with the Blood of Jesus,” and have our “sins forgiven.”  So, what is it that we are to fear?  If we allow fear to place, it indicates that we need to work on our “view” of God and our “relationship” with Him. Indeed, we can “trust” Him, and if we can “trust” Him, then if God is for us, what difference does it make who is against us?

May the Lord be with you and banish all fear from your life.  Tomorrow, we will consider the last of the five – “God’s Love Draws Us to Him.”

1 John 4:15-19 – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.” NASB

In these few verses, there are several life-changing truths that I want to highlight and discuss briefly:

• The Way to God – – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
• God Is Love – – “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
• As He “is,” So Are We IN THIS WORLD – – “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
• Love Defeats Fear – –“There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
• God’s Love Draws Us to Him – – “We love because He loved us.”  The New King James says it better – “We love Him because He first loved us.”

Today, we will look at item number three – “As He ‘is” So Are We IN THIS WORLD.”

 For almost endless ages, we have sung in Church, “When we all get to heaven,” as somehow being the time when we will become “like Jesus.”  But if you consider the teachings of our Lord and this passage, you will come to a completely different view and realize something dynamic.

For too long, we have justified our failures and lack of demonstration of God’s love, mercy, grace, and power by saying, “Well, I’m only human, and there was only one perfect one.”  Both are true, but He “lives in us.”  The life that we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith “of” and “in” the Son of God. 

Jesus said in John 7:38-39 something incredibly revealing and powerful – “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” NKJV 

Consider that statement and this verse that we are reflecting upon.  Jesus said that as believers, there are “rivers” of living water flowing from our innermost being through the work of the Holy Spirit.  That “living water” can and will touch everything around it and bring life wherever it touches. 

My question is not “How WAS Jesus” when He walked on Earth but “How IS Jesus NOW?”  Has He not overcome the devil?  Does He not have direct access to the Father?  Is He not more than a conqueror over all the power of the devil?  Then, HOW ARE WE?  According to this passage, we are the same as He IS!  If we are not, I must ask why.

I believe the answer lies in our expectations and beliefs.  Consider what Jesus said in John 14:12-14 a most revealing, penetrating and powerful truth – “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” NKJV  

• Are we “doing” Greater Works? 
• Are we doing Comparable Works? 
• Are we doing Any Works? 

Or have we relegated that to some bygone era and dismissed it without taking into account the words, desires, or promises of the Lord?

We have made “Canaan” heaven, but I suggest that “Canaan” was the Place of Promise and is a picture of living here on Earth in Victory.  It was a land flowing with “milk and honey,” but there were “giants” in the land and people “occupying” the land that had to be “dispossessed.”  That is not a picture of Heaven.  We will not have to defeat the enemy once we get there, for he will not be there.  Therefore, all the powerful weapons of Spiritual Warfare and the Promises of God for overcoming are for NOW!

We need to settle in our hearts that “AS HE IS, SO ARE WE in this present world.” 

May God be with you as you go through your day!  Tomorrow, we will consider number four – “Love Defeats Fear!”

1 John 4:15-19 – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.” NASB

In these few verses, there are several life-changing truths that I want to highlight and discuss briefly:

• The Way to God – – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
• God Is Love – – “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
• As He “is,” So Are We IN THIS WORLD – – “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
• Love Defeats Fear – – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
• God’s Love Draws Us to Him – –“We love because He loved us.”  The New King James says it better – “We love Him because He first loved us.”

Today, I want us to consider number two: “God Is Love.”

I know that former President Bill Clinton called into question the definition of the word “is” in his scandal with “that woman,” as he called her.  But as we look at this subject today, I want to briefly focus on the word “is.” 

• Notice it does not say – “God Has Love.”  He does, but that is not what it says.  It does not say – “God Demonstrates Love.” 
• He does, but that is not what it says.  It says,” God IS Love.” 

That is critically important!  It is a contrast to what we have as humans with regard to Love and what God IS!  We have love for various things or people.  We demonstrate or exhibit love depending on the situation, person, or circumstances.  But notice this is a description of WHAT God is, not what God HAS. 

God Is Love!  He is the fullness of love.  He is the completeness of love.  He is the ocean of love.  God does not have love; He IS Love!  That is something that flows to us from Who He Is, not what He has!  When we receive God’s love, we receive a part of God Himself.  If we “abide” in His love, we “abide” in Him.  He lives “in” us and flows “out” of us, touching everyone and everything around us.

It would behoove us always to consider that we are not just “representatives” of the Lord, and we are also “manifestations” of Him to the world.  When they see us, they should see Him, not our flawed humanness.  Of course, there will be times when we fall short of that objective, but that should always be our objective.  When we fall short, we should ask His and possibly their forgiveness and seek the Lord to live His life in us and through us so that when the world sees us, they see Jesus!

May the Lord be with you as you go through this day, and tomorrow, we will consider something that I consider vital but often missed by the Body of Christ – “As He IS, so are we IN THIS WORLD.” 

1 John 4:15-19 – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.” NASB

In these few verses, there are several life-changing truths that I want to highlight and discuss briefly:

• The Way to God – – “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
• God Is Love – – “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
• As He “is,” So Are We IN THIS WORLD – – “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
• Love Defeats Fear – – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

God’s Love Draws Us to Himself – –“We love because He loved us.”  The New King James says it better – “We love Him because He first loved us.”

I want to touch on each of those and will do so one day at a time.  Let us briefly examine the first one – “The Way to God.”

1 John 1:9-10 provides the pathway to Salvation: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV

John 3:16-17 we find the doorway to Salvation – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” NKJV

Jesus declared in John 10:7-9 that He was the “DOOR TO SALVATION” – “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” NKJV

I am not focused on what other religions or cults say about the pathway to Salvation.  The explicit declaration of the Bible is that aside from Jesus and His atonement, there is no access to Salvation.  He came and lived as a man, without sin, and offered Himself a sacrifice for us.  He paid the penalty for sin and broke the legal claim that the devil had on mankind, opening the door to Salvation.  He is the Messiah!  We can be cleansed from sin through the Cross and His Sacrificial Blood.  Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.

If you do not know Jesus as your personal savior, please listen to His offer and believe in your heart that He is and that He died for your sins.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us all unrighteousness.  We can be “born again” today and spend eternity with Him in Heaven.  I desire that all come to the knowledge of and experience repentance and receive His Mercy.

May the Lord Bless you as you go through this day.  Tomorrow, we will consider “God Is Love.” 

Hosea 7:8 – “Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned.” NKJV

This is an interesting description.  A cake unturned is “uncooked on one side.”  The prophet described Ephraim as one who has so co-mingled with the nations that they have become “half-baked.”  If you follow that through naturally, you will find that an unturned pancake would tend to be raw on the unturned side and in danger of becoming charred and burned on the side nearest the fire.

I have seen people in the church who are so one-dimensional in their view of the things of God who reflect this.  They are burned on one side by that which captures their interest but are without benefit in other areas of their lives, spiritually speaking. 

They become Pharisaical, demonstrating great zeal and enthusiasm for one particular dimension of Christianity.  They look down their noses at anyone not sharing their viewpoint and yet are not growing in grace and becoming a well-rounded Christian who can demonstrate to the world that they can rightly divide the Word of Truth.  In a significant sense, they are “half-baked” and frequently turn more people off than they reach for our Lord.

God wants to touch every dimension of our lives, and in so doing, He will bring us into an encounter with truth that will help us mature and develop in all areas of our Christian walk.  You may have a particular gift or calling you primarily focus on, which is good. But you need to allow the Holy Spirit to bring you to maturity in all aspects of your life.  Your passion may be for a particular area of ministry, but you should be able to see other areas as well.  The Christian walk does not center around you and your passion for a particular work. It centers on Christ and the His Body of Believers.

The person who is a “cake unturned” will find that they have things in their lives that are unchallenged, unchecked, unrepented of, and weights that will hinder their walk in Christ.  We need to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to the total man or woman; as He does, he will turn us so that we are thoroughly cooked, not burned on one side and raw on the other.

I feel this is for some who have neglected to press in deeper into the things of God and have remained as a “cake unturned” to the point that they find the Christian walk a struggle, even to the point of becoming disillusioned.  That person could be in danger of throwing in the towel and giving up.  I want to prevent that and encourage you to seek the wisdom of the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to take the spatula of God and turn you over and over until you are thoroughly cooked for Jesus!

May the Lord be with you as you go through God’s kitchen!  Blessings as you go through your day!

Luke 18:9-14 – “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  12’I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’  13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’  14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  NASB

Yes, this is a bit of a takeoff on Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might Be a Redneck.”   As I read this passage, I thought about being a Pharisee.  It has been my unfortunate experience to have been one and to have known many in my years of Christian service.  Sadly, many do not even realize that they are one and, if confronted, are highly offended.

Consider this parable with me.  Here, Jesus called to light anyone who trusted in themselves regarding their righteousness while viewing others in contempt.  Jesus spent most of His ministry calling attention to His otherness regarding the Pharisees.  He wanted everyone then and now to understand that what He came to offer was the opposite of what they presented.  They tried to “earn it,” and Jesus came to bring salvation as a “gift of grace.”

Consider the two men in the parable. 

• The Pharisee.

He compared himself to others.  He had his checklist of all the things he was not and how much better he was than those he named.  He commended himself for his service, giving, fasting, and praying.  He viewed himself as the pious person God must surely love more than others because of all he did and did not do. 

• The Tax Collector.

He was of an occupation highly despised by the Pharisees.  This man exhibited incredible humility as he stood before the altar.  He could not lift his eyes but beat his chest and whispered, “God, be merciful to me, the or a sinner!”  He knew that in himself, there was no good thing. 

He knew he could not earn God’s favor in his efforts.  He knew he was not one inch closer to God than anyone else in his works, service, and religious activities.  He sought “mercy” without thinking he had “earned” anything.

You Might Be a Pharisee if…

• You compare yourself to others.
• You look down on others who either do not do what you do or do things that you would not do. 
• You think your religious activities earn you brownie points with God above other people, you might be a Pharisee.

Jesus’ clear message was that the tax collector who cried out for mercy, not the Pharisee who boasted in his own piousness, went away “justified.”  Read the last part of verse 14 – “…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  It is all by grace!  You will work once you receive His grace, but your works do not earn you a place in heaven. It is His work on the Cross that purchased that for you!

Therefore, the next time you see someone and have even a remote thought that they might be lesser than you because of what they are doing or not doing, ask yourself, ‘Am I a Pharisee?”  Shake off those chains of religious bondage and walk free in Jesus.

Blessings as you go through your day!