3 John 1 - 10.14.25
SCRIPTURE: 3 John 1:4 - “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
OBSERVATION: John, who was one of Jesus’ disciplines, wrote this letter to Gaius, commending him of the faithful way he was walking in the truth. Some of the believers had gone to John to testify about Gaius’ faithfulness, and being Gaius’ spiritual father, I’m sure it made John bubble up with joy to hear about this great report! John loved Gaius, and because of the great leader that John was, he covered Gaius in prayer. He prayed for good health and for his soul to get along well. Gaius used his gift of hospitality to bless the traveling missionaries. (The ones he didn’t even know). He welcomed them with open arms into his home.
APPLICATION: I can relate with John about that great feeling I get when I hear that my children AND grand-children are walking in faithfulness to the truth! It attests to the faithfulness of God, that He hears and is answering my prayers. And, my heart swells with joy when I hear that my past Sunday School students are living for Jesus! A few of the children I used to teach went on to be missionaries.
How important it is for me to pray for them, asking the Lord to help them continue to walk in God’s truth.
PRAYER: I’m so thankful for the mentors and encouragers God has brought in my life, and I’m so grateful for the teachers, Pastors, and for all those who have held me up in prayer throughout the years. I have been blessed by each and every one of them! I pray for me, and for all my brothers and sisters in Christ, that we will not only be faithful to walk in God’s truth by applying His Word, but that we will make disciples, be good mentors, faithful prayer warriors, and great encouragers along the way.
- Robin Orefice
Isaiah 57 - 10.13.25
Scripture
Isaiah 57:13 NIV
“When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”
Observation
In this passage, God is speaking through His prophet Isaiah and He is condemning His people’s foolishness and their sinfulness. The people of Judah have turned their backs on God. They chose to live adulterous lives, filled with serving their own man-made idols and doing detestable things in the sight of God. The people of Judah have forced God’s mighty hand to show them that their idols are worthless. But God, the One True Living God, will forgive those who repent. His anger won’t last forever. He will allow those who trust in Him to inherit the land and possess His holy mountain.
Application
Ain’t nothing like the real thing.
That’s not just the title of an old 60’s song by Marvin Gaye. It’s the truth when you put it into context with this passage. You see, the people of Judah were trying to substitute The One True Living God, with false gods and idols in their lives. They were about to find out that the fake idols they were worshipping and all the hideous sacrifices they were making, were making God very angry. God was about to show them that these things they were putting in their lives didn’t hold any weight and were NOTHING compared to Him!
What were they thinking?! God’s people literally witnessed firsthand, or were told stories passed down from their ancestors, of God’s mighty hand and faithfulness for His people. So why question it?!
But the more I think about it, we could be just as guilty of doing that sometimes. God has been faithful with providing for our every need. He has healed us or a family member. He protects us in times of danger. He may not always get us out of difficult situations, but He is always faithful to sustain us and see us through them. But, how soon we forget! We allow our lives to be too filled with other things/idols where we forget about Him. We turn to anything but God, that is, until we hit rock bottom. Why do we have to wait until we hit rock bottom though? Is it because these other things/idols that we put our faith in instead of God don’t really hold any weight and can’t really help us? Whether it’s our own physical strength, our homes, our finances, or even our friends and family, they will eventually fade away and fail us. But God will never fail us. His love for us is never ending. We read in this chapter that as angry as God was with His people, God yearns for them to repent and come back to Him. He yearns to heal and restore them. He yearns to give them peace.
So why put our trust in anything or anyone else when we have a God who is real, who is mighty, who loves us unconditionally, and who is alive today! 🎵Ain’t nothing like the real thing baby!🎵
“But the Lord is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King! The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.”-Jeremiah 10:10
Prayer
Father God, You are The One True Living God. There is no one like You. You are my God, my Lord, my Savior, and my friend. Please forgive me for putting idols (other things in my life) that replace my time that I should be spending with You. Help me to seek You and trust You in everything that I do. Keep me on the right path…Your path today. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
1 John 3 - 10.10.25
Scripture: 1 John 3:24
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Observation
John is enjoying his fellowship with the God of Love, Life and Light. In this chapter he is encouraging fellow believers to love our brothers and sisters to the point of laying down our lives, just as Jesus did for us. Love is an action word. God is Life and those who fellowship with Him must possess His quality of life. A spiritual life starts with a spiritual rebirth and faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ infuses us with God’s Life – Eternal Life. God is Light, so to walk in a relationship with Him, we must walk in light and not darkness. We must regularly confess our sins and allow the blood of Christ to cleanse us. By keeping God’s commands and loving others, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us.
Application
God wants an intimate relationship with us. He longs for us to sit quietly and talk to him and share our innermost feelings and concerns. He gave us the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us, that speaks truth to our heart and mind. We are to live righteously, obeying God’s commands and surrender our lives to Him and He will dwell mightily within us. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning.
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. – Acts 5:32
What a privilege it is to be called Children of God. The God of the Universe loves and adores us and eagerly awaits time with us. To Abide means to live, continue or remain in a close, intimate relationship with God.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. – John 15: 9-12
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus,
What an honor and privilege to be your child. Thank you for loving me so much that you would put the Holy Spirit inside of me to lead, guide and direct my path. Help me to obey your commands and life a life of righteousness. Thank You Lord for abiding in me as I abide in you. Help me to have an abundant love for all people and to shine forth your love to all that I come in contact with. I love and adore You!
- Michelle Craig