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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Today's Passage : Today's Passage: Subject:The Word of Life Bible Verse:1 John 1:1-4 (ESV) "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. " Message:
Today’s Scripture is the same as yesterday’s, because yesterday’s devotional was devoted to the circumstances surrounding how the epistle was written and its overall meaning and purpose.
A
lthough the first paragraph is punctuated as a very long sentence, it is stylistically different from the long sentences in 1 Peter. The semicolons separate functional sentences. John uses semicolons and dashes, instead of periods, to group together fairly simple sentences that are connected in a single argument or teaching.
Notice that the first words reflect the first words in John’s gospel. Christ was with God, and was God, at the beginning of time. (See John 1:1.) But John hammers home the most critical point of his epistle. He had seen Jesus with his own eyes, heard Him with his own ears, touched Him with his own fingers. Jesus was real, and moreover, He was a human being. John wants his audience and all of prosperity to know that he was an eyewitness to the events in Christ’s life and wants to give testimony.
Jesus was practically a non-entity to those in power when He was crucified, just another religious nut in a small backwater of the Roman Empire. The Jewish authorities took little notice of him and the secular authorities, none at all. So John wants to make sure that there is an historical verification, a certified eyewitness account, of Christ’s life and deeds.
He then gives the basic authority and purpose for evangelism. Those who saw the monumental miracle occur and who, by their direct friendship with Christ, continued to live in fellowship with Him after his ascension, want to share their joy with others.
This reminds us of our ties to Christ by a direct line to Christ himself, through those who knew him. “Apostolic succession” has a specific meaning in some denominations. But it has a more general meaning applicable to all Christians. Our knowledge of Christ is traceable through an unbroken line of believers to those who knew Him, and thus to Christ himself.
And finally, John reminds us that our joy is not complete unless we share our knowledge of Christ with others. All Christians have a duty of evangelism, because we love our neighbors. And what could be more loving, than to share with them the most wonderful gift of all, the gift of righteousness before God and a life (and death) in God’s grace through the remission of our sins?
Meditation : [The tangle of human emotion and self-deception.] Prayer : Holy God, I pray to be filled with your Holy Spirit for the rest of this day. Let me go forth, walking with your Spirit in my heart, that I may be filled with the joy and energy and praise for your entire creation, thankful in the many gifts you have given me, and showing forth your light in my every word and deed. This I pray in Christ's name,. Amen |
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