Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

 3 John 1

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 3 John 1:11

I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  Today, my study consists of an unassisted review of 3 John 1, primarily looking vv11-12 which per the commentary is the third division for 3 John 1.  3 John 1 includes three examples - two positive (Gaius, Demetrius), one negative (Diotrephes) - for who to imitate and who not to imitate.  In v11, John is clear that we are not to imitate evil (see also 2 John 1:7, 9a, 11) but instead to imitate good and and in v12 we have an example of Demetrius.  Demetrius is described is having "received a good testimony" from John and the other apostles - those sharing the gospel - and "from the truth itself" (all testimony is based the gospel and the Holy Spirit living in us giving us our faith).  When something is received implies that something is both given or shared and the recipient welcomes the something that is given or shared.  Diotrephes, on the other hand, does not welcome those sharing the gospel and spurns the gift of the gospel, even though, like Demetrius, it is offered to him.  In previous books (1 John, 2 John, the Gospel of John), John shares how we are to abide in Jesus and He will abide in Him - this is how we are to respond and receive the gospel.  God then works in our heart, then begins a process of sanctification to bring about obedience and to make us more like Him - this continues until glorification when this process is complete as we meet Jesus face to face in Heaven. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the One True Example of Good, perfect in all ways, and Holy.  You save me and I am undeserving of such grace and mercy.  Thank You Jesus!  But again I am undeserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. v21

We are instructed by Paul in v9-21 that love must be sincere, which is defined in the dictionary as "free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings".  Paul goes on to provide several examples or descriptions of love, including 
- "hatred" of evil
- devotion to and honor of others
- joyful
- hopeful
- patient
- generous
- hospitable
- humble
- peaceful

We are also to be restrained from taking revenge - instead leaving this to the Lord (v19) and overcoming evil "with good".

In the face of sin/evil, we are tempted to judge and or take other actions that do not define love.  We must instead draw near to the Lord.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who abounds in love and compassion.  I experience Your love and compassion - daily.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and compassion.  I worry and I have other sin - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

“You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

Luke 4

“You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow  them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. v41

Satan is real - he's been with us since the beginning, he tried to tempt Jesus into sin (Luke 4:1), and he continues to exist for all believers until the end of times when Jesus will defeat Satan and sin for the final time.  Satan knows Jesus, knows believers and is constantly looking for ways to get into our lives so that our faith weakens.

John Piper provides some great resources to assist us.
Satan's Ten Strategies Against You
Recommend Resources from John Piper on Satan 

One of the biggest lies Satan seeds is that "[t]he devil wants you to believe God’s commands are torturously burdensome and the death of your happiness. The devil wants you to believe that God is withholding joy from you in the limitations he places on you."  Wrong!  See more here.

In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. 1 John 5:3-4 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who protects me from Satan - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such protection.  I am too often arrogant or lazy and I turn from You to sin - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. v23

When you look at this chapter a key theme appears: get wisdom above all else, though it may feel as if it costs you from an earthly sense (it does not) (v7), you gain in blessings from God (v4,6,8-13).

In verse 23 we get a warning to focus on who and what influences we choose to have in our life.

See also post here from Matthew. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who protects my heart, and who gives me life...to the full.  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Please help us lead Zach and Dustin to you Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.”

2 Kings 2

“The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” v15

I see symbolism in Elijah's life that points us to Jesus.

Elijah is taken to heaven but He is not the promised Messiah - Jesus is.

When Elijah dies, Elisha tears his cloak in two. When Jesus dies, the curtain of the temple is torn in two (Matthew 27:51). 

When Elijah dies, others look for Him for three days but they do not find him.  When Jesus dies, he returns in three days and He is seen by many.

When Elijah dies, a double portion of God's spirit rests on Elisha.  When Jesus dies, the Holy Spirit is provided to the disciples at Pentecost and to all of us.

Bottom line: there is significance in Elijah's life and his life is worthy of study as is all of the Bible - but in particular Elijah.

Great commentary on Elijah here.

From this commentary:
"The world today still has its Ahabs and Jezebels. The present age also has its idolatry, though it is more subtle than that of Elijah’s day.

The shrines of pagan worship may not be as visible in a basically Christian-professing society, and there may be very few carved images that people actually worship, yet millions are following after the gods of this world. Today’s idols can be riches, fame, pleasure and the pleasant-sounding fables that occupy the hearts and minds of many who are unwilling and disinterested in learning about God."

The commentary also says this about Elijah:
Elijah is considered one of the most important prophets of the Old Testament. He faithfully carried out God’s mission in the face of danger and hardship. His was a singular voice of “one crying in the wilderness” to rebuke sin in the land and to expose the false prophets and false religions of his day.


Believers such as myself may also, as Elijah does, feel alone and discouraged sharing the Gospel and living as Christ commands us to.  Yet if we earnestly seek Him and cry out to Him as Elijah does (see 1 Kings 19).  

See also post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an awesome God You are!  You will never leave or forsake us and You always hear and respond to our call.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”

1 Samuel 25

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.” v39

Evil has been in the world since the very beginning - see Genesis 3.  Evil not only exists but it is pervasive.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8-9

 

David nearly succumbs to temptation by killing Nabal but he realizes that this is wrong and that justice belongs to God alone.

 

We must repay evil with good.

 

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9

 

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12

 

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:14-15

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed a great God who sees my evil and pays me back with good.  I know that I don't get what I deserve but I do get what I don't deserve - grace.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love.  I often fail to come to You with my first fruits.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you....You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

Joshua 23

Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you....You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. v13-14

Joshua is getting old and offers both words of warning and encouragement which serve all of us well.

1. We must be careful not to conform to the patterns of this world - Paul offers this same warning (Romans 12:2) as does Peter (1 Peter 5:8)
2. Remember all that God has done - for all of His children and specifically for you.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are that You have created the heavens and the earth, and everything in them, and You are perfect in all ways.  You chose to give up Your one and only Son - Jesus Christ - so that I could be free from snare of sin and have everlasting life.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such incredible gifts.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 3

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. v8-9

 
As I posted yesterday, there will be circumstances that may cause to lash out at others - to repay what we see as evil with our own evil.

We can only bring others to Jesus if we are Jesus to others.

Stephen is a great example.

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Acts 6:15

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You are love...and You love me - amazing.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love.  I am selfish and I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 97

Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. v10

The world is full of sin and wickedness and God calls His children to holiness.  

Be holy, because I am holy. 1 Peter 1:16, Lev. 11:44,45; 19:2

As I posted yesterday, we exist to glorify God - we were made in His image. We must draw near to God, daily, seeking Him.  As we seek God and draw near to Him, we reflect more of His image in us.

Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.  For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. Proverbs 8:33-35

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8

My Prayer: Lord, You indeed are a great God worthy of my praise and worship.  You alone set the moon and the stars in their place and You hold all things together...wonderfully.  You know everything about me, including my sin, yet You love me anyway.  I am weak, impatient, harsh with my words and actions - please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

 The Wannabe God
1 Peter 5

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. v8

I have previously posted on the need to stay alert and of sober mind as encouraged by Peter.  No doubt, Satan is real and we need protection.  Protection is afforded through God alone - and God arms us with His Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, etc.  

The Bible provides many vivid examples of how God protects us, including how God protected Jesus from Satan in the wilderness, how God protected Daniel from the lion's den, etc.

God is real, able to defeat sin and death, and He always protects us - see also references to other posts here.

Thank You God for how You protect us!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God - full of love, compassion, mercy, etc.  You protect me even though I am not deserving of such mercy - I have sinned in my life and I know that wages of sin are death.  But You have rescued me and You continue to rescue me - thank You Jesus!  Worry is still active in my life so please forgive me Jesus.  I know You tell me not to worry.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength. Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer and the side effects of chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. v8

I know that Satan is real and lying in wait for me but I need to more aware of how Satan is at work in my life.  I can feel him working in certain situations, such as in my marriage, as a father, and in my service to the church.  Lord help me!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are capable of all things - in fact, You beat Satan, sin and death.  And You rose again to save me a place in Heaven with You.  What a great God You are!  I need You Jesus, desperately!  Thank You for all that You are and do and have done, but I need more of You in my life.  Please forgive me for falling prey to sin in my marriage, as a father and in my service to the church.  Protect me from Satan, sin and the devil.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me remain alert and sober and on watch for the devil.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.

2 Thessalonians 2

He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. v9-10

The forces of evil and Satan are real and at work in and around us.  Although Paul's message emphasizes how unbelievers are influenced and will be punished, this message is important for believers as well as it both comforts us that we will be saved on the Day of Judgement, and that we should be helping spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to an unbelieving world - we should give everyone an opportunity for the love, grace, and power of Christ.

My Prayer: Lord, You are an awesome God that You came to save me...in fact, You chose me...knowing everything about me, including my sin.  How great You are!  I am not deserving of such a God.  I am weak, broken, quick to anger, slow to listen, selfish, etc.  Thank You that You love me anyway and for all the many, many, incredible ways You bless me.  I love You Jesus.  I need You desperately in my life.  Please forgive me for my sin of anger, etc. and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me take comfort that I am saved but at the same time help me grow in my faith and share the Good News with others such as my family.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength and comfort.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.