I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Today’s passage continues the vision/prophecy that was in yesterday’s passage. Many people have attempted to take the times from this passage and tie them to specific events in order to calculate when Christ will return. However, I do not believe that the purpose of this passage is to tell us when some particular event is going to take place. Rather this passage is to remind us that a day of great anguish is coming and that those whose names are written in the book of life will be rescued when that day arrives. In that day, the wise will stand out and those who lead others to righteousness will be beacons.
John reminds us not to believe everyone who claims to speak with the Spirit of God. The first and most important test is whether or not they acknowledge that Jesus was a real, historical person. Anyone who claims to be a prophet but does not acknowledge to truth about Christ is not from God. John then returns to his main theme of this letter, that we are to love one another. He gives us God’s example of love for us to follow. God did not love us because we loved Him. God loved us and sent His Son to die for us when we were in open rebellion against Him. Let us follow His example and love those around us, even when they hate us and treat us badly. If God could love us when we were in our sin, how can we claim that we cannot love someone because of what they have done to us? God is love and if we allow His Spirit to live in us, He will show us how to love even those who seem the most unlovable.
If we are afraid the answer is to come to God and ask Him to fill us with love. Perhaps the reason we are afraid is because we have failed to love someone in our life in the way which God calls us to. We experience fear because we have not fully experienced God’s love for us. We cannot fully experience God’s love for us until we fully love God. We do not fully love God if we have negative feelings toward any of our fellow believers. My motivation to love is that God loved me. If God loved me, as unlovable as I can be, how can I find others unlovable? As we are filled with God’s love for one another and for God we will find that God’s love drives fear out of us.
The proud may ridicule me and the arrogant may hold me in contempt, but I will trust in God and rely on His mercy. O Lord, let me keep my eyes focused on You, so that I may react to the smallest sign that You give me as to Your will. When You show me Your will, motivate me to eagerly do it.
The people of a nation will prosper and thrive when its rulers are godly and just. When the rulers are wicked and corrupt the people and the nation will suffer and fall. There is a direct correlation between government policies which encourage just and moral behavior and the economic health of a country.