Day 337: 1 John 3:7-24

“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” - 1 John 3:7-8 ESV

Bad habits have a good way of haunting us. The roots of the habitual run deep. They entangle our hearts, propelling us to focus on the things that we hate.

We will all make isolated mistakes. How we react after those missteps reflects for whom we are actually living. One act of sin doesn't define us, but it becomes dangerous when we let it bloom into a lifestyle. This is when the devil has his way with us.

How do we protect ourselves from these destructive lifestyles?  We refuse to stay down when we slip. We get up. We shake it off. We re-fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). We hit our knees in prayer, confessing our ignorance, defiance, and pride. We soak ourselves in God's word, letting Him re-remind us of who we are in Christ. We serve the poor and the forgotten. We stubbornly love and forgive our family, no matter how they act toward us.

Wherever you are, stop and read the following verses from Micah 7:7-9, 18-19 (NLT):

As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.
Do not gloat over me, my enemies!
For though I fall, I will rise again.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.
I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against him.
But after that, he will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies.
The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness.
Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.
Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

“John is emphasizing this great truth because some were in danger of being led astray by the gnostic teachings that sin was not a reality. They needed to be told that forgiveness and cleansing from sin are vitally important to all of them. Paul faced this same problem, and he deals with it in Romans 6:1ff. He asked them ‘Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?’ to which he answered, ‘By no means!’” - Marcus M. Womack

Day 336: 1 John 2:18-29, 3:1-6

“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 2:19 NLT

If we could sum up both of our readings in 1 John today in two words, it would be: Family stays.

John uses a Greek word here that seems to be one of His favorites. It is meno, which is translated as remain, stay, or abide. Jesus clearly loved using the word to describe what His family was to be like.

For example, Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains (meno) forever." - John 8:34-35

The Gospel (good news) of Jesus didn't need to be improved upon in the first century, and the same goes for the twenty-first century. The Apostle Paul spoke volumes when he wrote, "the summing up of all things in Christ." (Ephesians 1:10, NASB)

Our problems will not be resolved by us suddenly becoming clever or inventive when it comes to faith. We will only find what we are looking for when we stop and decide to remain in the loving care of our resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"The renegade and apostate was all along only nominally a Christian. Of the true Christian the declaration remains true, 'No one snatcheth them out of his hand.'” (see John 10:28) - Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. (1909). 1 John (p. 27)

Day 335: 1 John 2:1-17

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life —is not from the Father but is from the world.” - 1 John 2:16-17 ESV

We all are so easily enamored with what we see. Whether it is 1 million followers on Instagram or 1 million dollars in our bank account, we are suckers for what the world has to offer. Why? Because it is "available" now, and it is "quick," and we can "control" it, and it is just so stinking "attractive."

Why wouldn't God want me to have all of these good things? Doesn't He love me? Doesn't He want me to be happy?

God doesn't exist in all of His power and glory to give us all that we want. He is actually more in favor of not giving us most of what we want (when we want it). Though we think we are experts in knowing what will truly make us happy, we are, in reality, novices.

God, on the other hand? He knows exactly what we need to be joyful, not only now but for all of eternity. The answer isn't found rummaging through the things of this world. It is found in willful submission to His way, the way of following His Son, Jesus Christ.

It isn't easy. It doesn't always feel good. People don't always reciprocate our love and forgiveness. Yet it is the best way to live, both now and forever, Amen.

"For that day, as well as for our own day, humanity must obey the commands of God’s choice, not its own. In our age of wanting to make our own decisions, we must carefully follow what God wants rather than what we want." - Womack, M. M. (1998). 1, 2 & 3 John (1 Jn 2:17)

Day 334: 1 John 1:1-10

"...if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7 ESV

The way John quoted Jesus in his first book gives us an even better understanding of our passage today. Jesus said, "For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed." (John 3:20)

It has been documented that when HD TVs came into people's living rooms, those who did live news were a wreck. All the light and all the clarity were revealing what they really looked like. Their blemishes, their wrinkles. Every facet of their imperfections was put on display for all to see! Some considered (or went through with) plastic surgery.

John Stott wrote the following about this verse: "We must walk in the light of his holy self-revelation, and in his presence, without deceit or dishonesty in our mind or consciously tolerated sin in our conduct. ‘Walking in the light’ describes ‘absolute sincerity … to be, so to speak, all of a piece, to have nothing to conceal, and to make no attempt to conceal anything.’"

Bottom line: Light always exposes. When it does, we have a crucial decision to make. Will we admit our darkness, confess it to Jesus, and let Him take care of our sins? Or will we continually try to justify our sin, hoping that, eventually, everyone will move on?

God cannot move on. The pure nature of his glory is too much to exist in the presence of sin. Until we confess our sins, we cannot be purified. Admitting weakness is hard, but it is an essential practice for every Christian who seeks to operate in the light.

Day 333: 2 Peter 3:1-18

"Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living!" - 2 Peter 3:11 NLT

This chapter in 2 Peter probably contains the last recorded words of the Apostle Peter that we have. In them, we see his heart for the original audience and us as well. He longs to give us a greater perspective on what is happening right now and what will happen at the end of time. The following questions naturally arise as we think of Jesus' Second Coming.

How will it take place? >> Peter writes that "God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt (vs. 12)." Yes, even your 401K won't make it. All that we see and don't see will be renovated by fire.

Why is it taking so long? >> We see this twice in our reading today (vs. 9, 15). The time that has elapsed since the first century has allowed millions, maybe billions, to come to Jesus by faith; there are millions more who will also be given time to respond. His love is evidenced in his patience.

What does this mean for us? >> Peter gives two immediate reactions that we should have to these truths. It is helpful to see these as filters when you are trying to make any decision before you.

HOLY >> hagios - set apart, sacred, dedicated; when God saved us, His intention was not for us to blend. Though we are meant to influence culture, it is not to influence us. We should feel a little (or a lot) out of place here.

GODLY >> eusebeia - reverence toward God, devout; in the Old Testament (LXX), this word is translated as "fear," which is a worship word. As Christians, we are to be committed religiously to Jesus. You can count on us to take the gospel to the next generation!

You see, every second we are spending on earth needs to be preparing us in readiness for Jesus’ return. How have you been doing with the time and energy God has given you? Perhaps it’s time to let Him take complete control.

"Since the world will be destroyed and the faithfulness of everyone will be clearly shown, Christians must live “holy” and “godly” lives. Both of these terms are plural in Greek, signifying the many holy behaviors and godly acts to which believers are called." - Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (2 Pe 3:11)

Day 332: 2 Peter 2:1-22

“They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.” - ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The theme of this chapter is WARNING! ⚠️

We are not lacking for historical examples of people trying to do things their own way by “instinct.” (see verse 12) Peter reminds us of a few:

• The flood (Genesis 6)

• Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19)

• Balaam (Numbers 22)

Each of these instances had at least one person that stood out in contrast and did things God’s way: Noah, Lot, and Moses. Three questions (and answers) naturally flow from our reading today:

(1) What was it that used to offer you freedom but instead slapped heavy chains on your wrists? Whatever that was, the Devil will not quit with his temptations for you to turn back to it.

(2) How should we think about these attractive lifestyles that go against following Jesus? Vomit and mud. Both stink. Both are useless. Why would we ever want to be enslaved to them?

(3) Why would we want to release control to something or someone who seeks our harm? It is always best to choose Jesus as our Lord. He is eternally motivated by His great love for us.

"No man can serve two masters; but all men must serve one. These men were not the last to set liberty against law. Yet their vaunted liberty turned into licence, and generated a new bondage. On the other hand glad bondage to the law of Christ, which was so disparaged by the false teachers, leads in fact to an emancipation more complete than the errorists could ever have imagined.” - Michael Greene, 2 Peter and Jude: An Introduction and Commentary (Page 140)

Let’s dive headfirst into this freedom today.

Day 331: 2 Peter 1:1-21

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” - 2 Peter 1:5-7 ESV

First of all, this chapter is a headful. Scholars say that the Greek in 2 Peter is earthy and clumsy compared to 1 Peter, but that doesn't mean that the application is any less powerful when it comes to us in English.

Peter is adamant about us being intentional in putting our faith to work. Being a Christian is not a passive exercise. We now have the power of God (verse 3) within us, charging us into territory we never thought we'd reach. Maybe we deemed ourselves unworthy because of sin or unpreparedness. Still, Peter sees our lives as a chance for progression.

So, we "supplement" faith with a barrage of growth-steps. Interestingly, many of us look at growth as a means of being well-known. What is the purpose of growth if we can't make it to the top?

Apparently, faith's pinnacle is a stronger love for fellow Christians and those who have yet to say yes to Jesus, and it all starts by placing our meager trust (faith) in a Mighty God.

For those interested in going deeper, below you'll find the progression defined below:

• Faith pistis - trust, persuasion, or confidence in Jesus for salvation

• Virtue arete - excellence of character, it was used in verse 3 of today's reading to describe Jesus

• Knowledge gnosis - seeking to know, inquiry, investigation

• Self-control enkrateia - to exercise complete control over one’s desires and actions

• Steadfastness hypomone - capacity to bear up under difficult circumstances

• Godliness eusebeia - word for religion, 10 out of its 15 appearances in the New Testament happen during Paul's pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus (how to run a local church), it is appropriate religious beliefs and practices

• Brotherly affection philadelphia - brotherly love, family love, affection for another believer in Jesus (only used 6X in the New Testament)

• Love agape - word used to describe how God loves us, the highest standard of sacrificial love, always does what is spiritually best for someone else

Day 330: 1 Peter 4:7-19, 5:1-14

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” - 1 Peter 4:7-8

When trying to teach little kids about the importance of morality, there are three main tenants many Christian parents use:

• Pray

• Love

• Share

I find it very interesting that these are the three Peter encourages these suffering Christians in Asia Minor to continue to live out.

If we really believe that Jesus' return is imminent, we will…

(1) Put ourselves in the best position to pray. To do it right, we will need to be self-controlled and have ready minds. What are you doing to pray every day for others intentionally? Do you journal? Do you walk and pray? Do you text prayers to others?

(2) Love each other gracefully. Where there are people, there will be sinning. Where there is sin, we will need love to cover it. Who is it that you need to forgive this Thanksgiving season?

(3) Share our homes and our meals. Shelter and food are needs everyone has. Though these take a lot of time and sacrifice, this can be the most powerful witness a Christian can have. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul writes that they shared not only the gospel but their own lives. It is powerful.

You can see easily how these prepare us and others for Jesus' return. We should still pray like the first-century church did: that He will come quickly!

"Thinking that the end of history is at the door and the Judge is about to enter through it can energize one’s prayers and lead to a specially effective focus in those prayers."  - McKnight, S. (1996). 1 Peter (p. 237)

Day 329: 1 Peter 3:8-22, 4:1-6

“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.'”- 1 Peter 3:21 ESV

Only eight people survived the flood of Genesis 6. Eight. Some estimate that there could have been millions of people on the earth at that time. Yet Noah and his seven came through those floodwaters. Did Noah deserve credit for saving them and the animals on the ark? I mean, he did build a large boat for 120 years (see Genesis 6:3). If that were true, wouldn't Noah have offered a sacrifice to himself instead of to God when they exited the boat on the mountains of Ararat?

There was no doubt that it was God who had saved Noah and his family. He had given him the instructions to build the floating device, giving him specific directions on gathering the animals, and God even shut the door before the water fell.

What a powerful picture when thinking about being saved from our sins. It was Jesus' suffering that provided the way to be saved (see verse 18). Baptism is ultimately surrendering to His direction, declaring that Jesus is Lord (verse 15), the only One who can save.

The word used here for appeal can also be translated as request, inquiry, or answer (KJV).

Baptism is yet another way for us to cry out to God, asking Him to save us.

We will not survive the flood of justice without His protective and provisional grace.

"...it is because Christ is risen from the dead that baptism becomes an instrument through which God can make known his saving activity. If Christ were not raised, then baptism remains only a symbol not of life but of death. But since Christ is indeed raised from death, then the Christian is also enabled to rise from the water of baptism into a new life (compare Rom 6:1–11)." - Arichea, D. C., & Nida, E. A. (1980). A handbook on the first letter from Peter (p. 121)

Are you interested in learning more about baptism?  This page may be helpful for you to read as you consider the decision or want to equip yourself to share with others (have your Bible nearby).

Day 328: 1 Peter 2:11-25, 3:1-7

"He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds." - 1 Peter 2:24 NLT

What was happening while Jesus was hanging, exposed, and humiliated on the cross for those six hours? Sure, there was an earthquake, darkness, and dead people came out of their graves; the 30-foot tall curtain was also torn in the temple. Yet all of these were outward signs of what was also happening in the spiritual realm.

This verse in 1 Peter gives us a view of what was actually happening as Jesus suffered and died on the cross. He took on all of our sins in His body 1,990-ish years ago. Our Savior's sacrifice is still doing the same work it was doing at the very beginning of the church.

What motivated Jesus to do something like this for us?

So we could finally die to sin (instead of in it).

So we could finally live lives of freedom.

So we could be healed entirely.

Jesus' wounds were not wasted. They have been pouring out restoration ever since. Now, may we turn and offer what we've been given to the entire world!

"The last clause of Isaiah 53:5 is 'and by his wounds we are healed.' Peter again points to the vicarious nature of what Jesus accomplished when he suffered and died for us. He was wounded so that we could be healed. We should therefore live righteously, which includes enduring unjust suffering for doing right."  - Black, A., & Black, M. C. (1998). 1 & 2 Peter (1 Pe 2:24)