1, 2, &3 John – God and Love

Power. The worldly crave it. Everyone seems to want it. Many desire power over money, fame, or goodwill. Worldly Power is what evil uses to distract us from God’s best. Even toddlers will play the power game as they sit in the floor playing with blocks. Watch them for a few minutes and one will try to gain control over the other one until he/she has all the blocks. So, it’s inborn, our nature, to want power.

Those who crave power over another is hard to work with on projects that require teamwork, putting your gifts together to productively succeed in a better outcome.

Power consumes us at times by being either pushed and prodded or doing so ourselves over someone else. We then end up being alone in the journey. We sometimes get to the point of power leaving a bad taste in our mouths.

But this is false power, man made power, the kind of power that is short lived, fleeting, as in a game of “King of the Hill”. There will always be someone stronger who will come along and push you off that hill and shout, “I’M now KIng of the hill.”

Then along comes Jesus who brings a revolutionary idea of upside-down kingdom thinking that brings the “powerful” to their knees. John relates…

1 John 5, The Message
The Power That Brings the World to Its Knees

4-5 Every God-begotten person conquers the world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.

6-8 Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God’s presence at Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.

9-10 If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.

11-12 This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

What do we learn?
–God gave us life because of the life of Jesus.
–If we have Jesus, we have life.
–That is where the Power comes from…Jesus Christ…living in us…and we believing it. Our faith give us our power to conquer. Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Our faith in You does indeed drive us to our knees, bowing down to You and only You. You are God and we are not. There is no one like You and there never will be. Who else would I turn to in good times and bad? You are always present, omnipotent and the source of power. Thank you for Who You are and all the ways You help us. You are the First I want to praise when great things happen and the First I run to, sliding on my knees, in times of distress. You are my hope and my salvation. Keep my mind stayed on You all day long. In Jesus Name and by HIS power living in me, Amen. I believe.