Praying Through God’s Word: 1 John

1 John 1:1-2:17

We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, “Jesus Christ” died “for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2). This is Good News. It’s great news! It’s the best news we could ever hear – and it comes from You. What love You have for us. Help us not to keep this love to ourselves. Help us to share the Good News – “the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

1 John 2:18-3:18

We thank You, Lord, for Your gift of “eternal life” (1 John 2:24-25). Our enjoyment of eternal life has already begun – “We are God’s children now.” Our full enjoyment of eternal life is still to come – “It does not yet appear what we shall be” (1 John 3:2). Here-and-now, help us to experience Christ’s victory: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Help us to look beyond the here-and-now, to look ahead to our full enjoyment of Christ’s victory – “When He appears, we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2).

1 John 3:19-4:21

“God is greater than our hearts” (1 John 3:20). When, Lord, we are deeply aware of our own sinfulness, help us to remember that You love us. You know the truth about us – “The heart is deceitful, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). You know everything about us – and You keep on loving us. We see how much You love us when we look at Jesus, crucified for us (Romans 5:8).

1 John 5:1-21

What great blessings You have given to us! You have brought us into Your family: “Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God” (1 John 5:1). You lead us in the way of victory: “Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5). When we forget what You have done for us, what You are still doing for us, help us to remember Jesus. Help us to remember that He is our Saviour. He has saved us – and He is leading us on into a closer walk with You. Thank You, Lord.

To The Ends Of The Earth

"His dominion shall be ... to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9:10).

God's purpose was moving on. He had begun with Israel. Their deliverance from bondage in Egypt was a mighty demonstration of His saving power. This was only the beginning. God was moving on to Jesus - "the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42). In Jesus Christ, crucified for us, God was reaching out, in love, to "the whole world" (1 John 2:2). The Gospel is not only for the Jews: "It is it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Jesus is calling us, His redeemed people - empowered by the Holy Spirit - to take His message of salvation to the ends of the earth: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Tremendous Words Of Faith ...

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). 
These are tremendous words of faith. They lift our eyes above “our light and momentary troubles.” They set our eyes on the “eternal glory.” When we see our times of suffering in this eternal perspective, our hearts are encouraged in the Lord. Our suffering isn’t the last word. God’s eternal glory is – and we will share in His eternal glory – “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! … Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:1-2).

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son ...

Daniel 11:36-12:13; 1 John 5:1-21; Psalm 139:1-10

Scripture speaks of “the time of wrath” (Daniel 11:36), “a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” (Daniel 12:1). For some, this will bring “shame and everlasting contempt.” Through the grace of God, others will receive “everlasting life” (Daniel 12:20). This “everlasting life” is in Christ – “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life.” Scripture also contains the Word of warning – “He who does not have the Son does not have life” (1 John 5:12-12). As we hear Scripture speaking to us concerning eternal life, we say in our hearts, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:6). Too wonderful? Too lofty? – Yes, but, by the grace of God, it is given to us – “I write these things to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

From my One Year Bible

We learn to love God as we learn to appreciate His love for us ...

Daniel 11:2-35; 1 John 4:7-21; Psalm 138:1-8

Daniel 11 is concerned with conflict. This is part of our spiritual experience as well as Israel’s military experience. There is an enemy who opposes the Lord and His people. Nevertheless, “the people who know their God will firmly resist him” (Daniel 11:32). How are we able to resist the enemy? We are strengthened by love, the love of God. We learn to love God as we learn to appreciate His love for us: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). This love, His love, gives us the strength to firmly resist the enemy. God’s love is a faithful love – “Your love, O Lord, endures for ever” (Psalm 138:8). His love and His faithfulness belong together – “Your love and Your faithfulness” (Psalm 138:2). How do we know of the faithful love of God? – Through His Name and His Word: “You have exalted above all things Your Name and Your Word” (Psalm 138:2). As the Name of the Lord and the Word of the Lord become precious to us, so the love of the Lord becomes real to us, the strength of the Lord is given to us and the enemy is firmly resisted.

From my One year Bible