Psalm 1

S: Psalm 1:3 They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers.

O: They, the men talked about in verses 1-2, who follow God's law are strong and plentiful. God will reward them with generations of propensity. 

A: if we can be like the people in verses 1-2, God will reward us in His way. But we must remember, God rewards how he sees fit. It's not a "I'll be good if you let me -----." God answers our prayers in the way they should be answered, according to his will.

P: God, let me always be steadfast like the tree planted near the water so that my leaves never with. Lead me, and I will follow. Amen.

3 John

3 John 3-4 is almost repetitive of the verse I journaled about yesterday. The presbyter has written I another letter, talking of how pleased he is to see the children walking in truth. I can only hope that when looking at my life, Jesus is also pleased in my walk with truth. I pray that I continue to walk in truth and faith, and I am thankful for the ability to do such every single day.

2 John

2 John 4: I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth just as we were commanded by the Father.

O: The author may be talking about some of the new Christians who have joined in the walk with Jesus. He uses the words "your children" indicating their young faith, not necessarily young in age. 

A: This letter is directed to a chosen lady and is about the people in her village. The author is so happy about the new Christians he found when he visited. What a joy it is to see new Christians in their walk. As we read in Peter, easily Christians can be easily faltered by evil. We need to, as this author puts, walk according to his commandments, which is walk in love with our fellow Christians, and help them along their journey. 

P: Dear God, help guide me along my journey. Pleases be always at my side as I seek to help others. Let me only lead through your grace and will. Amen. 

1 John 5

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possess the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.

This is another message John proclaims a lot in this book. If you believe, profess, and walk with Jesus, we are with him. We make this choice. We choose daily to be with Jesus. I'm not sure why anyone would choose otherwise. I find since I have started my walk with Jesus, and truly devoting myself, I am happier. My husband can tell. My children can tell. There is less arguing, less hostility, less frustrations. I pray that each and every day I make the conscious and subconscious choice to be with Jesus. And I pray that hat you do to. Amen

1 John 4

1 John talks a lot about love. The love that God has for us and the love that we should have for each other. In 1 John 4:9, he talks about the greatest love "In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only son into the world so that we might have life through him." God gave us his son for free so that we might have life with God and be free from sins. We need to reciprocate this love to one another. Unconditionally. God didn't say he would give us Jesus if we did this or that. He gave us Jesus so that we could be free from sin. How many times have we thought, "I'll do this for so and so if they ______________"? Countless. We need to stop thinking that we and give ourselves freely. It only takes one unconditional action for someone to see (not that we should do it just for someone to witness) that could change that person's life for the better. 

Lord, please help me to put away my foolish pride and love unconditionally. I want to be able to reach my hand out to those who need without expecting something in return. You gave us Jesus so we could be with you. I want to give myself so that others can be with you also. Amen. 

1 John 3

S: 1 John 3:4-6 Eveyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him.

O: To truly commit a sin, consciously and deliberately, means one is choosing to turn away from God. If one continues down that path, he will never know God.

A: I think John is saying here that those who commit sin purposefully are not with God. I would like to think that if we sin accidentally, realize it, and then repent, we could still be with God. But to deliberately commit a sin is like slapping God in the face. 

P: Lord, I don't even want to "accidentally" sin against you. Please help me stay aware in all situations of my actions and responses to others so that I do not sin against you. I want to know you, God. Amen. 

1 John 2

Morning sickness is for the birds.

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but from the world. Yet the world and it's enticement are passing away. But whomever doss be will of God remains forever. 

This is a tough verse to understand. I don't think if you say "I love my car," you are not with God. I think this more means if you think you are better than other people because of your car, making you prideful, means you are not with God. If someone has arrogance in their earthly style, that can show independence from God. 

When I was in my first year of college, I had received a chain email that send "send this to all the people you love to say luv ya." I sent it to my dad, and got a response that I have not yet forgotten. He replied telling me how different "luv ya" and "love" were. That we are not called to love objects, pets, houses, clothes, etc, so we shouldn't say " I love my car." He said love should only be expressed to  people, thieves that if they were suddenly taken out of our life, we would be devastated, we wouldn't want to go on. He was trying to instill in me the importance and the strength of the word love. This isn't to say you shouldn't show love to the kid down the street that you don't even know. He was trying to get me to see the bigger picture about not loving material things.

 Two years later, we, and three of our family members down our road, as well as most of south Losiana, lost our house and everything in it from a tidal surge from Hurricane Rita. It left 48" of water I our house for three days. Coming home from college, seeing all our possessions on the front lawn covered in mud (my family had already been trying to remove stuff to see if anything was salvageable) was terrible. But we weren't devastated. Why? Because we were all still alive. We had each other. Our earthy possessions had be taken away in a single moment. We overcame this with God and the help of good neighbors (most of which has also been flooded). 

When our time comes, our earthly possssions won't matter. We can't take them with us. The only thing that will matter is the love we have shown to others and to God. So we should focus more on love than on our "things" now. I thank God everyday for what I have because I know that it is through him I have been blessed, and through him they can be taken away.