Ultimately, You Won't Regret It

Have you read 1 John 1 lately (or ever)?

There are only 10 verses -- but there's powerful stuff within!

Here it is in 5 different bible versions for any who'd like to read it:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/index.php?search=1+John+1&version=NIV%3BNLT%3BESV%3BMSG%3BKJV&interface=print


Ultimately, you won't regret it. But at first, some of us may feel tapped upside the head. =)

In case that link above ever stops working, here's a couple of key points I want to share...

Verses 1-3

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

Now, I want to point out that many, many clueless people who don't really care about the truth, often say things like, "It's just an old book," and, "It's just words written by some guys." (or similar statements)

But they don't grasp the simple facts. Jesus spoke crazy words -- if he was a mere human. If that's the case, he was not at all a 'good man.' He was, then, an absolute lunatic & megalomaniac.

Additionally, the Apostles each also died for what they believed about Jesus. It says right there, that they heard, they saw, and they even touched him. He was real, this all is real, and they gave testimony -- as have many since.

They were willing to stick to their stories, willing to die for what they knew to be the truth. The truth they heard, experienced, and saw for themselves first-hand.

We, today, choose to take it lightly, and ignore it.

We give more worth and respect to biographies of people who don't truly matter and who are nothing more than a distraction to help us waste our own lives. Worse than biographies, we pay heed to Tabloids with rumors and gossip.

All while we brush off the biography of Jesus Christ, the almighty Lord and Savior of the world. The Holy Bible is a historical set of documentation, of facts, of testimonies.

Verses 8-10

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."


Now that section of scripture -- of God's Inspired word, of scripture that is said to be, 'God-breathed' -- is hard to acknowledge for many 'Christians.'

Because many, many judgemental, self-righteous & hypocritical religious folks stand away from and look down upon 'sinners.'

These people, no matter how well-intentioned, are off-base. Jesus says right there that the Truth, that HE, is not in them, if they think they themselves are not sinners.

Not to mention that the Apostle Paul (St. Paul) called himself the worst of all sinners.

As I said, it's only 10 verses, but oh, what a set of verses.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus... Father God... please, please help us. Be blunt with us, as needed, Lord. Smash down our walls, cast out our hearts of stone. Give us hearts of flesh, please.

Soften our hearts, Lord -- and sharpen our minds. Bless us with your Godly wisdom today.

Put us on your narrow path. Help us to open ourselves, our lives, to you more fully, and to truly begin letting you lead us, every day. Starting today, starting now.

Please forgive us for our sins, Lord. Help us, teach us, to repent. Forgive us, change us, and guide us, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Father, for Jesus, and thank you for the Holy Spirit to lead us.

Amen.

Encouragement/Guidance for Your Day

Ephesians 5:15-16 says:

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise, but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Live wise today -- and make the most of it! =)

BibleGateway Resources for You

We need to get in the habit of reading for ourselves what the Holy Bible actually says, rather than relying on others as to what it supposedly says. I’ve used BibleGateway.com for years. I recommend it.

I use www.BibleGateway.com a lot. Mainly because it's accessible. But also because it has dozens of Bible versions -- and dozens of languages -- to choose from. All at my fingertips, for FREE.

The Title bar at the site says it best: “A searchable online bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.”

50 languages? I mean, c’mon, that’s wonderful!

"Go and Make Disciples of All Nations"

Scripture says we are to take His word and be witnesses for Him to the 4 corners of the earth (Acts 1:8, Acts 13:47).

Additionally, in what we often refer to as, “The Great Commission” -- in Matthew 28:18-20 -- it says:


“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’"


To ‘make disciples of all nations’ we are helped when we have the word in a translation that those cultures can understand. BibleGateway.com says it has 50 languages to choose from.

How much easier can that make it for missionaries traveling to far off places, to find a regional location to power-up and log-on -- and perhaps be able to print out at least parts of scripture directly to bring to the local culture? We have 50 languages to choose from already. Not a bad start.

For those of us who are so blessed to have easy access to the Internet and to His word, there are 23 English versions of the Holy Bible available. From Darby’s, Holman’s, Wycliffe’s, & Young’s to the newer ‘NIV 2011.’

For your studying, you can choose up to 5 versions at a time, to get search results from.

Meaning I can choose to read, say, chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews (known as the 'faith' chapter), and read it in the NIV, ESV, NAS, MSG, & KJV if desired -- all on the same page.

BibleGateway Newsletters

• You can sign-up for HTML or Text e-mail
• You can sign-up for a few different daily and weekly devotionals
• You can get the BibleGateway Verse of the Day sent to your inbox each day
• You can get the Verse of the Day sent to you in 3 different Bible versions
• You can get the Verse of the Day sent to you in Spanish
• You can learn specifically about the men of the Bible, or
• You can learn details about 52 women of the Bible

Sign-up for BibleGateway’s newsletters or devotionals here:
www.biblegateway.com/newsletters/


There are lots of great, free Bible resources out there on the Internet for us. So many that we take them for granted, and ignore them.

As we do with Jesus, too, many times.

Jesus is so available to each of us that we often accept what we hear about Him, rather than investigating the truth for ourselves. It’s the trick of the world, and it works well.

Many of us blow off Christ due to our listening to the supposedly ‘cool’ folks mocking Him, mocking the Holy Bible.

But sometimes there’s a good reason why cool rhymes with fool.

Don’t be fooled. Learn for yourself what the truth is. Learn what scripture actually says to you, not what others tell you it says. You can start today, by going to BibleGateway.com and reading some of it for yourself.

My Prayer for You, and for Each of Us

Father, please, in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, please bless us now. With your Godly wisdom, with your enlightenment, with a true understanding of You, and a strengthening of faith in You, Lord.

Please, Jesus, lead us with the Holy Spirit now. Lead us to Your Word, to your truth, and onto Your narrow path so that we may spend an eternity blessed by your almighty power and amazing love.

Thank You, Father -- and thank You, Jesus. Amen.