JOHN'S EPISTLES

Sixteen years ago I was searching for the truth...I remember looking at the large Bible someone had given me and being completely overwhelmed with all the confusing words inside. I didn't know where to start or where to find God. A sweet friend of mine suggested I start by reading 1 John.

As I read through 1, 2 and 3 John today I saw some brilliant yet simple passages that touched my heart. And I remembered back to that time when the words of the Bible didn't make sense at all! Slowly God has been teaching me to understand his word and learn to follow him. He promises to open our eyes to understand his word if we ask him. And 1 John is indeed a perfect place to start.

God is LIGHT.
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

God is LOVE.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:7-8, 10)

BELIEVE and LOVE.
And this is his command; to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (1 John 3:23)

God's CHILDREN do what is right.
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.  (1 John 2:10)

God's CHILDREN are kept safe from harm and are given understanding.
the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. (1 John 5:18, 20)

Walk in OBEDIENCE and LOVE.
And this is love, that we walk in obedience to his commands...his command is that you walk in love. (2 John 6)

Walk in the TRUTH.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 2)

EVEN THOUGH

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;

even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;

even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

The Sovereign LORD is my strength!
He makes me surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

This is one of my favorite passages. I like it because I think it's easy to praise God when things are going great and life is working out how we planned. And it's also easy to praise God when things are rough and he comes in and saves the day. But it's hard to praise God when nothing is going right, and things don't change...they stay rough.

So this passage reminds me that the point isn't to have blossoms on the fig trees or full cattle barns...the point of life isn't to get stuff or have all our plans work out. The point is we can have joy no matter what comes our way because God has saved us...God is with us during the good times AND bad times...so in a way all the times really good because of him.

No  matter how many things are going wrong in my life, I can rejoice in the LORD and be joyful in my Savior. What a beautiful blessing!