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Reading for December 8th is 3 John... My thoughts on this reading... John's third letter is not to a church, but to a person named Gaius. We don't know who exactly this person is, but it sounds like he was either a member of the congregation or someone who had hosted friends of John. Whoever he was, he was a person of truth and John says he loves when he hears those he considers his children walking in God's truth. John points to how they have shown their love and how they ought to do so, because they walk in truth together! While Gaius has been a great help, there is another person by the name of Diotrephes who evidently was all about himself and trying to control others in the congregation, even throwing people out, so John says he is going to come and it sounds like confront him. He encourages them to imitate good and not evil, noting that if it is from God, it is good, and if one does evil, they haven't seen God. And while Diotrephes is rebuked by John, Demetrius is commended as one who has proven trustworthy and who holds to the truth. As he close out his final letter, John again notes that he hopes to see them soon and prays the Lord's peace upon them.

Reading for December 6/7 is 2 John... My thoughts on this reading... As John begins at his second letter, he writes as an elder (pastor) to the church, whom he calls the elect lady and her children, which would be the congregation and members of the congregation he must have had in mind. He points to the importance of the truth and how that truth abides in them is with them always. He encourages them to walk in love and to keep the things commanded by the Lord. As in his first letter, loving one another is important. They are warned to be careful of the one who seeks to deceive and lead astray. So, again, the encouragement is to abide in the teaching of Jesus, as that is what keeps them in the Christ and they should watch out for those who don't abide in the same teaching. As he closes out his second letter, John tells them he is not going to spend any more time writing, but rather plans to come and visit them and share with them in person. He mentions greetings from an sister church to close.

Reading for December 5th is 1 John 5... My thoughts on this reading... One of the things I love about these letters of John is how often he recalls the words of Jesus and makes use of it in his writing. I've mentioned how he refers to the keeping the commandments, particularly the commandment to love one another, and to abide in Him and over and over again to love, as God has loved us. Another phrase that must have really stuck with John is what opens up this chapter as He speaks about overcoming the world. In John 16:33 Jesus tells his disciples not to fear, for He has overcome the world and after speaking of the importance of keeping the commandments and loving, he notes how our faith has overcome the world - faith that rests securely in Jesus Christ! To further point out the importance of Christ he points to the testimony of the water the blood and the Spirit, and notes that that testimony we have in Christ leads to eternal life. Have Jesus? Have life! As he did with his gospel where John says his reason for writing it was that we may life in Christ Jesus, he notes that he writes what he has in this letter so they might believe in Jesus and have eternal life. All of our requests are answered in Jesus Christ! As a final encouragement he speaks of not going on sinning, especially sin that leads to death. Instead we are to remain in the truth and hold to the promise that comes through Jesus Christ. And here again is old Apostle John encouraging his little children to stay away from idols and cling to Christ!

Reading for December 4th is 1 John 4... My thoughts on this reading... This is an important chapter, especially the first couple verses when it comes to being able to know if something is from God or not. John tells us that we should test the spirits and then explains how we are to do this. Essentially, it something doesn't confess Christ, it is not of the Spirit. Anything that would lead away from Christ or that doesn't proclaim Him as true God and true Man, is not of God. That's important because there are things that will seek to lead us away from Christ, which is the spirit of the antichrist John says. Hold on to your confession of Christ as Christ in you is greater that our old evil foe who seeks to destroy us. John then returns to his favorite subject in these chapters of this first letter, the topic of love. Not only does love come from God, John says God is love! And God is the one who initiates love and sent Jesus to be the payment for our sins, and give to us His love. If you love one another as God has loved you, God abides in you, and His love is perfected in us John says. Now, here's the dilemma, I'm not seeing perfect love in my life... are you? The truth of course is that that perfected love this side of eternity, is in the process of being perfected... so it's not something you'll see in completeness right now, but it is at work. I love how verse 16 puts it... God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. Of course sometimes we choose not to abide, and it's at those times love is absent in our lives. And what about verse 18... perfect love casts out all fear... someday... love will drive out all fear! This of course is followed by verse 19, "we love because He first loved us!" How true!