This is the genealogy of Jesu...

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,

- P70

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

6and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

- P71

11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

- P72

16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

- P73

Encapsulated in the statement that Jesus Christ is "the son of David, the son of Abraham," is the summary of God’s promise throughout the Old Testament. It was promised to Abraham that through his seed all the nations would be blessed, and more about this promise was revealed when it was told of David that his house and kingship would endure forever. - P74

At the right time, Jesus came as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The promises of God are sure in coming, but as this genealogy shows, they are not always quick in coming. However, time spent waiting for them is never wasted. - P74

Think of the stories of grace each name in this genealogy represents, and be encouraged that your waiting on God is covered by His grace. - P74

Jesus‘ genealogy goes right through one of the darkest times in Israel‘s history, the Babylonian exile. This period saw the collapse of the monarchyand the decimation of the temple. And although a fallen monarchy seemslike a less than favorable context for the coming of a king, the successionof names continues because God‘s promises cannot be thwarted by man‘sfailures. The beauty of God‘s promise is that He guarantees it on the basisof His word.  - P74

Human beings may break their word, but God cannot. Hishonor would not allow it. He is faithful to all that He says. This is why thegenealogy finds its end with Jesus. This is also why the lives of the saints willfind their fulfillment in Him. - P74

Father, I am again reminded that You work all things for the good of those who love You. And this work is dependent not on my faithfulness, but on Yours. Thank You for being faithful and true till the end. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P75

The elder, To my dear friend ...

The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

3It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.

4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,[a] even though they are strangers to you. - P66

John rejoices greatly at the fact that his friend Gaius is faithfully living a lifeof truth. This is clearly shown by his acts of love toward those who are alsolaboring for the cause of Christ. As observed in John‘s letters, to him, truthis synonymous with love. The opposite of love is plain in Diotrephes‘s life.
He denies the truth and, in consequence, is incapable of love. His life ismarked by self-interest and the cutting down of those who labor for truth.
- P68

Jesus taught that we can recognize a person‘s character by observing-thefruit of their lives. We recognize those who are of the truth by the fact thattheir life accords with God‘s commands and love. And this is not just a testto apply to others; it is also how each of us should reflect upon our lives. - P68

Dear Jesus, thank You for Your faithfulness to us. Thank You that we can prayfor and encourage one another to live in Your truth. Help us to honor You inboth truth and love. In Your name, amen. - P69

The elder, To the lady chosen...

The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth—

2because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

3Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

- P60

7I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. - P61

John writes to a household of faith whose identity he establishes as chosen by God and beloved of His people. He exhorts them to obey the familiar command to love one another. But what may have been new to them is how John unpacks the definition of love: Love is to live according to all that God has commanded. We live in a society where the statement "God is love" is sometimes construed to mean that God simply accepts any type of lifestyle people choose. But Scripture is clear on what true love is for the household of God. - P62

It is not only to live lives which accord with God’s commands, but to call those we love to the same obedience. - P62

John goes on to warn this household to be aware of those who maintaindisbelief regarding the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This type ofteaching always denies the divinity and lordship of Jesus. This is nothingless than teaching from the antichrist and the saints are not to associate withsuch characters.  - P62

John‘s warning reminds us that Jesus likened false teachingto leaven, a substance of which even a small quantity can permeate a wholeunleavened lump. Many false teachers in multiple forms still remain in theworld, so this warning remains true for the saints of today. We are to remainvigilant against anything which does not acknowledge the lordship of JesusChrist and all that He has commanded. - P62

Father, it is so easy to allow the influences of my society to dictate how my life should be lived. But open my eyes once again to see the beauty of Your truth and use me to help others see it as well. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P62

13I write these things to you...

13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
- P56

19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

- P57

John wants his readers to be fully assured that, because of their faith in the name of Jesus, they have eternal life. In addition, believers have the confidence that when we come to God with any request that accords with His will, He will hear and answer. - P58

When we bring our requests to God, let us not approach Him as if we were beggars or slaves fearful of their master. We know that God is our good Father, and He desires to bless His children. We can check our hearts and consider whether our requests align with God’s goodness and love, then we can approach Him with confidence, trusting that He cares about our requests and will grant us all that is best for us. - P58

Scripture differentiates between those who struggle with sin and those whoare unrepentant. Believers are commanded to pray for those who are caughtin sin and are promised that God will rescue the one who has sinned fromdeath. Christ protects those who are born of God from the devil‘s deceit intemptations to sin. When we see other believers sinning, God‘s commandto us is to pray for them.  - P58

Those who are true children of God will notcontinue to sin, not because they are never tempted but because they loveGod and are focused on Him. When we do sin, let us quickly repent andremind ourselves that Jesus has ensured that the devil cannot take away oursalvation. - P58

Heavenly Father, thank You that I can confidently approach You with my requests, knowing that You love me and desire to bless me. Forgive me for the times I have still given in to the sins You freed me from. I recommit to keeping my heart focused on You. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P59

1Everyone who believes that J...

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. - P52

5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

6This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. - P52

9We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.

10Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

- P53

Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ are God’s children and they show that they love Him by carrying out His commands. God’s commands are not a burden to believers because God has made our faith victorious against the world. Just like children do not hesitate to obey a good parent whom they love and trust, we can obey without feeling burdened because we know that God’s commands are good for us and our faith enables us to overcome in our battles against the world’s influence. The moment we chose to believe in something that the world does not, we became victorious over the temptations that the enemy uses to lead us astray. - P54

Eyewitnesses testified about Jesus; God also testifies about Him, and Histestimony is greater. God has given testimony through three things that areall in agreement: water, blood, and the Holy Spirit-which symbolize Jesus‘
baptism, His crucifixion, and His Spirit who dwells in those who believein Him. Those who accept this testimony are assured of eternal life. Thosewho do not believe are essentially calling God a liar. In a court of justice,
testimonies from witnesses help a judge and jury discern what might betrue about a legal case.  - P54

Jesus‘ baptism. His sacrifice, and the presence andwork of His Spirit testify that He is truly the Son of God. And because weaccept this testimony, we are confident that God will give us eternal life asHe promised. - P54

Dear God, thank You for giving me victory over the world’s temptations through my faith. Guide me by Your Spirit to share Your testimony with those who still need to hear it so that they, too, can know the truth and live as Your victorious children. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P55