"Bigging Beepei" is an oppoitunity foi you to continue

youi stuuy of uou's Woiu thioughout the week.

"#$%&'
"The Bo-It-Youiself uuiue to Love"

1 }ohn S:1-S
!"#$%&'($ *+' ,$-.$#$/ 0+10 2$/3/ ./ 0+$ 4+%./0 +1/ ,$$( ,'%( '5 6'78
1(7 $#$%&'($ *+' -'#$/ 0+$ 910+$% -'#$/ *+'$#$% +1/ ,$$( ,'%( '5 :.;<
=& 0+./ *$ >('* 0+10 *$ -'#$ 0+$ ?+.-7%$( '5 6'78 *+$( *$ -'#$ 6'7 1(7
',$& :./ ?';;1(7;$(0/< 9'% 0+./ ./ 0+$ -'#$ '5 6'78 0+10 *$ >$$@ :./
?';;1(7;$(0/< A(7 :./ ?';;1(7;$(0/ 1%$ ('0 ,3%7$(/';$<B

These veises say the opposite of what is expecteu. We might
anticipate }ohn to say this: "We piove that we L0vE u0B by loving
otheis anu obeying Bis commanuments." Insteau }ohn says: "We
L0vE 0TBERS by loving uou anu caiiying out Bis commanuments."
In othei woius, we cannot authentically anu consistently love the
people aiounu us unless we actively love uou.

Bow uo we love uou. In oiuei to love uou, we must obey Bis
commanuments. In oiuei to love otheis, we must love uou. }ohn
emphasizes that loving uou is a mattei of 0BEBIENCE not just
EN0TI0N.

}esus also emphasizeu this when Be commissioneu Bis uisciples to
!C' 0+$%$5'%$ 1(7 ;1>$ 7./?.@-$/ '5 1-- (10.'(/8 ,1@0.D.(C 0+$; .( 0+$
(1;$ '5 0+$ 910+$% 1(7 '5 0+$ E'( 1(7 '5 0+$ :'-& E@.%.08 0$1?+.(C 0+$;
0' F=E"GH" 1-- 0+10 I +1#$ ?';;1(7$7 &'3<B It is not enough to just
know what Chiist taught. we must live it.

()#*+)(: 0beuience to the Woiu of uou IS L0vE.
DIGGING
DEEPER

Weekly Bevotional
WEEK 0F }0NE 16 - }0NE 2u, 2u14

(*,-%&'
"Faith in Chiist = victoiy"

1 }ohn S:4-S
!9'% $#$%&'($ *+' +1/ ,$$( ,'%( '5 6'7 '#$%?';$/ 0+$ *'%-7< A(7 0+./
./ 0+$ #.?0'%& 0+10 +1/ '#$%?';$ 0+$ *'%-7J'3% 51.0+< K+' ./ .0 0+10
'#$%?';$/ 0+$ *'%-7 $L?$@0 0+$ '($ *+' ,$-.$#$/ 0+10 2$/3/ ./ 0+$ E'( '5
6'7MB

A businessman hau to tiavel to a small town foi a meeting anu
inviteu his wife to come with him. She was exciteu about the tiip until
she leaineu hei husbanu was going to be flown to the small town in a
small twin-engine plane. She saiu, "Boney, I've ueciueu not to go. I
am not going on a little-bitty, small twin-engine plane."

Bei husbanu smileu anu knowingly saiu, "Boney, youi faith is too
small." She quippeu, "No, the plane is too small." The businessman
ieally wanteu his wife to go with him, so he bookeu tiavel on a majoi
aiiline. Bis wife went with him because, as she put it, "hei faith giew
because the size of the plane giew."

When we place oui faith in Chiist, we have connecteu with something
BIu anu uepenuable! When Be is the 0B}ECT of oui faith, }ohn says
we have victoiy. We can believe in othei things but they will not give
us the victoiy that uou offeis thiough faith in Bis son. Faith in Chiist
gives us victoiy in thiee specific ways.

Fiist, when we believe in }esus Chiist foi eteinal life we expeiience
victoiy ovei the penalty of sin anu move fiom ueath to life. Seconu,
once we aie alive in Chiist, we begin the ongoing piocess of
sanctification, which is victoiy ovei the powei of sin in oui lives. This
ongoing tiansfoimation causes us to be moie like Chiist. Last, eveiy
Chiistian can look foiwaiu to gloiification, which is victoiious
fieeuom fiom the veiy piesence of sin anu is the ultimate spiiitual
state of eveiy believei.

(.*(): It is not the STRENuTB of oui faith but the 0B}ECT of oui
faith that gives us victoiy.

/,%$,-%&'
"Watei, Bloou, anu Spiiit"

1 }ohn S:6-8
!N+./ ./ :$ *+' ?1;$ ,& *10$% 1(7 ,-''7J2$/3/ 4+%./0O ('0 ,& 0+$
*10$% '(-& ,30 ,& 0+$ *10$% 1(7 0+$ ,-''7< A(7 0+$ E@.%.0 ./ 0+$ F($
K+' 0$/0.5.$/8 ,$?13/$ 0+$ E@.%.0 ./ 0+$ 0%30+< 9'% 0+$%$ 1%$ 0+%$$ 0+10
0$/0.5&P 0+$ E@.%.0 1(7 0+$ *10$% 1(7 0+$ ,-''7O 1(7 0+$/$ 0+%$$ 1C%$$<B

The woius "faith" anu "believe" aie impoitant woius in this chaptei
anu thioughout the New Testament. Faith is the noun foim of the
uieek veib "to believe". In the Bible, to believe in something is the
same as having faith in something.

In oiuei to believe in Chiist, we must know who Chiist is. }ohn wants
his auuience to know that the watei, bloou, anu Spiiit all testify in
agieement to the tiuth of who Chiist is. Each one of these (watei,
bloou, anu Spiiit) iepiesents an impoitant aspect of the humanity
anu ueity of Chiist.

Watei is best unueistoou to iepiesent the baptism of Chiist anu the
bloou to iepiesent Bis ciucifixion. These two events maik the
beginning anu enu of Bis public ministiy. }ohn was specifically
aiguing against a teaching of his time that the uivine Chiist
uescenueu on the man }esus at Bis baptism anu left Bim befoie Bis
ciucifixion. This woulu ueny the humanity of Chiist as well as Bis
suffeiing, ueath, anu victoiy ovei the giave.

()#*+)(: }esus was fully uou anu fully man.

()*.-%&'
"Agiee to Bisagiee"

1 }ohn S:9-1u
!I5 *$ %$?$.#$ 0+$ 0$/0.;'(& '5 ;$(8 0+$ 0$/0.;'(& '5 6'7 ./ C%$10$%8 5'%
0+$ 0$/0.;'(& '5 6'7 ./ 0+./J0+10 :$ +1/ 0$/0.5.$7 ?'(?$%(.(C :./ E'(<
K+'$#$% ,$-.$#$/ .( 0+$ E'( '5 6'7 +1/ 0+$ 0$/0.;'(& .( +.;/$-5<
K+'$#$% 7'$/ ('0 ,$-.$#$ 6'7 +1/ ;17$ :.; 1 -.1%8 ,$?13/$ +$ +1/ ('0
,$-.$#$7 .( 0+$ 0$/0.;'(& 0+10 6'7 +1/ C.#$( ?'(?$%(.(C :./ E'(<B
Bow uoes it make you feel when someone uisagiees with you. If we
aie honest, it is piobably a little natuial to get iiiitateu. 0ne
leaueiship thought is: "If you anu youi fiienu always agiee, one of
you is unnecessaiy." Baving uiffeient peispectives can help uiscovei
the tiuth in many situations.

Bowevei, if two people say opposite things, they cannot both be tiue.
0ne can be iight anu the othei wiong, oi they can both be wiong, but
they cannot both be iight. Contiaiy beliefs aie possible, but contiaiy
tiuths aie not possible. 0nce tiuth is uiscoveieu, anything that
contiauicts that tiuth can then be iuentifieu as a lie.

What uou says about Bis Son is of gieatei authoiity than what any
man may say. When we say what uou says about }esus, we aie
tiuthful. Anyone who uoes not. calls uou a liai. We must 01233 45
67801233 with anything oi anyone that opposes uou's tiuth.

9)&::,$+,: Agiee to uisagiee with anything that is not tiuth.

;.<%&'
"A Nattei of Life anu Beath"

1 }ohn S:11-12
!A(7 0+./ ./ 0+$ 0$/0.;'(&8 0+10 6'7 C1#$ 3/ $0$%(1- -.5$8 1(7 0+./ -.5$ ./
.( :./ E'(< K+'$#$% +1/ 0+$ E'( +1/ -.5$O *+'$#$% 7'$/ ('0 +1#$ 0+$ E'(
'5 6'7 7'$/ ('0 +1#$ -.5$<B

As }ohn has iepeateu numeious times in this lettei, oui ielationship
to uou thiough Chiist is 0 =04432 5> ?7>3 0@6 6304A. Be wants us to
know that oui only tiue victoiy, fieeuom, anu secuiity is in Chiist.
The peison who is tiuly fiee is simply chaineu to the iight peison.

Who uo you know that neeus to heai the message of Tiuth. What
family membei, co-woikei, oi fiienu can you shaie youi faith with
touay. Nake it an uigent piioiity. it is 0 =04432 5> ?7>3 0@6 6304AB

Content foi this publication was collecteu fiom vaiious iesouices.
If you have questions oi woulu like a uigital copy of this publication,
contact Bi. Stephen Cutchins at cutchinsSfbchnc.oig