Accept: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading:1st John 4:13-15: "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.

Accept

His list is long and a powerful grace.

He bestows life, mercy, commitment, presence. Gift of His Spirit to walk with us daily.

He abides moment by moment.

His heart pours out healing.

He teaches us to listen for His voice, to yield to His truth for love, to remember the cost He made for us through His ongoing blessings.

Your thoughts,

Tenderness: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Tenderness

                Presence 

                Protection

                Power

                the overwhelming gifts

                through Holy Spirit

                tender to love each one.

                Perfects

                Protects

                Pursues

                the sins dissolved

                through mercy and grace

                threads of compassion mend.

                Treasures beyond measures.

Psalm 107:19: "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distress. 

Reflection: Treasures: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

        1. Do you recognize and feel the Spirit's gifts of His presence? How? 

        2. What weakness has become healed by His love and mercy?

        3. Do you recognize ongoing protection daily? How?

Share: What hope of His abiding presence can you share with another to accept His compassion?

Treasures: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1st John 4:10-12: "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and in His love is perfected in us."

Treasures

Beloved gifts: His love, His presence, His protection, His guidance, the Holy Spirit covers us day by day. In all circumstances: darkness and light.

This treasure of His day-by-day love carries us. It reminds us that even when we fall into deep weaknesses He will hold us in His tenderness.

Whether body, mind, or soul; His kindness never empties.

Lord, please keep us listening daily as You lead.

Your thoughts,

Reflection: Love: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

 Reflection Questions

        1. When have you questioned the Lord's ongoing love for you? Why?

        2. How has it been difficult to consider love towards someone who has been harsh to you, or been a danger to you?

        3. When you have doubted the Lord's love have you lost hope?

Share: How have you found a way to extend to others by the Spirit's leading?

Love: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1st John 4:7-9: " Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him."

Love

We may never understand the pouring out of Your love and grace to each one of us.

Without Your love there is no hope.

Walking into Your mercy is the only way our hearts and souls can follow You and then extend Your love to others as Your Spirit guides each one of us. Personally.

Whatever form You choose to guide us brings healing and forgiveness and love eternal.

With each day we can seek fresh vision and courage to step into this Eternal ground and on Your priorities.

Whether we realize or not--may we walk with You forever?

Your thoughts, 

Reveal: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Reveal

                By Your Spirit guiding 

                every day with love

                protects against fraudulence

                reveals errors

                within ourselves and

                from others also with lies.

                Instead builds recognizing

                His truth within and

                without as led when we

                choose and accept and

                listen.

Psalm 107:17: "Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

Reflection: Errors: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

        1. Have you ever been duped into a choice or a purchase that was false? How? 

        2. Have you been deceived in any situation for several days or years? Why?

        3. What gave you the truth or the courage to walk away from the perspectives or actions?

Share: How do you listen now to confirm God's truth from the worldly twists?

Errors: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1st John 4:4-6: "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are far from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

Errors

We need Your ongoing guidance, Lord. Especially when we become clueless.

When twisted words are not recognized.

We ask to be able to inhale Your words only and to speak them to others as well. Both given and guided by Your Spirit, so that any of our errors do not reach others. That only Your truth is shared and passed on.

When we listen and follow the way to go in Your truth we can live into Your truth within and without our hearts and words. Your truth only.

Your thoughts,

Confirmation: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Confirmation

                So quickly we move 

                in busyness as words

                surround like winds.

                Forget to pause

                to confirm they are

                from God's Spirit.

                And not a pretence

                ready to twist truth with

                attempts to distract.

                Pause and pray for

                confirmations before action to be

                present only by His purpose.

Psalm 107:16: "For He has shattered gates of bronze, And cut bars of iron asunder."

Reflection: Gospel: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

        1. Have you ever been given false direction by false words pretending to be speaking God's truth? How? 

        2. What words seemed to be Gospel truth but later saw as manipulated?

        3. What truth from Jesus restored His light and honesty from the lie?

Share: How do you test spirits for truth now?

Gospel: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading:1st John:4:1-3: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they  are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now is already in the world."

Gospel

Lord, we thank You for Your ongoing reminders to take the time to pause and pray when we need confirmation.

To be able to listen and identify Your directions only.

To hear Your truth and presence when confusion overwhelms us.

To be wrapped up in peace by Your Holy Spirit's presence always showing us the way. May we remember to listen and pause and pray no matter how often we need to hold tightly unto Your truth.

Your thoughts,