1 John 4 ~ Dear

Cute enough for the little ones, not so appealing at age 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and on.

1 John 4

1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.

This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.


Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen (John tells us he is an actual eyewitness) and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.


16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us.

20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister







So - this love business and the anti-love advice - What's it good for?


If you say to someone 'Eschatology' - we realize there is a level of worry in all readers to the news publications and newscasts. We are in uncharted waters of invention and time and space. No toga here. The absolute giggling relief of the population - thinking about Halloween candy fear is just about completely unjustified. And Ted Bundy. And red moons. And porn is the ruin of the internet. Except the statistics also reflect prayer and Bible verses are extremely sought after on the internet.

Do we talk about the weather? Na, we talk about the World Wide Wrestling event in the NFL. We talk about politics delicately at first and then with the zeal, fervor and tact of the 1st century Romans. I tell you what - win, lose or draw - President Trump is built for the backlash like a triple decker nuclear safety facility. I hope Barron, his son, has the same backbone. This is bravery to face this. Absolute sheer bravery. You don't have to like Donald Trump to see the bravery.




So Boston, recently, with 25-40,000 rally-ers  has caused Martin Luther, Jr. to cheer in Heaven!!! His dream is Alive.

Where are we - we have a national past time telling each other how deeply flawed and off track and sad the world is today. Good News - according to the Bible - God still has ownership of His Creation.

We are a nation looking at the times at hand. Continually. I was at the grocery store during the election and a Rapper was at the Pavilion with 70,000 ticket holders listening to him. (I heard on the microphones outside the Pavilion.) As he closed, he thanked the audience for their time, their money and his joy in performing and looking forward to each event like a child. His career, he related, is possible because the people want to pay their hard worked dollars to come to hear him. His Joy. Profound Joy for their interest. He went on to say - he wished the Presidential Candidates - this was during the election - would apologize for the absolute garbage they all put on the American people hoping their Government does right. The Crowd Stood and Cheered him for 10 minutes non-stop.

We are united!!! We want the people who lead the enforcing the Law to be good.







What does this have to do with the passage.

I have two neighbor stories to tell you. We had a quiet time in our loud neighborhood. All the kids grew up and moved away to be adults.

We got our first new neighbor in a long time. In her 30's, she moved in and ripped out everything. The house had been quite lovely before. And she snarled. Her face looked snarled up every time I saw her. I wondered what we would do with millenniums coming up in the world. Hey, now that's a sad commentary on the way we all say "millenniums." I struggled to speak to her pleasantly and she always acted as if she had dog poop on her shoe. Asked a few of our old neighbors, got vague back.

And like Joel Olsteen said, "God Blesses you, you drive down the street and BEHOLD - your neighbor has a FOR SALE SIGN!!!" (I like Joel Olsteen - my friend Michele offices across the street from him and his Church 'Routinely" floods from small rains. Put up job - cough, cough. (If you don't like Joel Olsteen - well, ok, you deal with that.)

So, the scowler moved. And the other new neighbor literally did a dance. Hands in the air and body moving down the road. She lived closer to her than I. And my mouth fell open and she said, "According to the departed, Houston is horrible, our neighborhood is horrid, the weather is horrible, the people here are horrid, our schools are horrible and she is leaving!!!!!"

ARRIVAL - we got 5 new millennial families and their kids and the neighborhood has flocks of smiling children, smiling moms, sidewalk chalk, toys looking like Nemo, Cars and Monsters Inc. and all are amazingly, amazingly, smiley, happy and FUN. Millennials - whatcha gonna do with 'em!!!



Now I told you that story, to tell you this story.

We have a man neighbor, for many years living here, who is impeccable. He is dignified, handsome and is always accompanied by his child. He speaks to his child as a very, very accomplished parent. Except, he can be tightly impatient with flaws. He deals with the passerby with complete disdain. He sneers. His face contorts. And it is - Hurtful. I ran into him a dozen times and he is most pleased I do not acknowledge him or his child, now. One day, a woman who was in her 40's, passed him and spoke. He gave her exactly what he gave me. I saw this woman looked shocked and gathered power in her face to possibly, really weep tears. He saw this, the child saw this and I saw this. She was in an audience of 4. She was now dead even with him on the walk. I said to her, "Don't worry about a thing! He does not SPEAK." What?  "Do not allow this to bother. Disregard. He does not SPEAK." Sunshine.

The man was most displeased. SCORE...!!!






So  - what will we do with this information?

We are not going to let the Scriptures pass us by. Yada yada love yada yada yada. No - hold on wait. Hear with the ears of your heart. Ok, we know the 'old phrases'. People. People. People. Who told us there is - yesterday, today and tomorrow - wheat/chaff? Chaff is the silt getting in the way of producing food - nourishment and nutrients. Chaff is SO Annoying - it blows in the way. BLOW IT OFF.


Jesus was not kidding. Let the dead bury their dead. Why... in the world... do you think the world is fixated on... Zombies?  Yep.







Now listen, Agggggggies I have another Story to tell you. Listen UP, AGGGIESSSS.

A man had a daughter. He spoke to her endlessly. He was fun, funny, genius. He sparkled. He cooked. He told jokes. He made meaningful stories. He was a rolling ball of entertainment. He loved to have parties and people. Boats, photography, antique cars. Model making of rolling objects. He made dueling pistols and carved the handles. He had loads of fun every week. Life was a party.

Until. The Passerbys wanted his polite attention. Then he could be the Iceberg of the Titanic. This was not on his planned agenda. Who was 'this person'? The child was embarrassed. I know - I was this child.

My father loved Jesus. When Jesus was convenient. He disliked Church - the people were so - so - so - perfect. Chilly. (Chilly? The things people point out.)




On New Year's Eve day - I walked into our acreage home with attached garage, as a 5th grader, and found we were being robbed by 15-25 very tall motorcycle team males. Taken: food, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, all the contents of the freezer and probably, according to Police - just about anything else until they were interrupted by a child.

Coincidence. The man who is the cold neighbor (above story) was robbed for a week as he and his family were out of town for a week. Coincidence. Both neighborhoods are just about crime free. I was told in later years by a friend of a friend that my father was robbed because he was cold. Another neighbor, robbed, is routinely cold to his clients and after being robbed for 6 hours of robbery shopping - he said he knew it was his client. (Because a client had threatened him with this.)

This didn't work out very well for O.J.

The people who bother you - probably - bother others. Sadly, my father - whom I adore to this day avidly - did not end well. We are all - all of on this planet - building ... somewhere.





What would Jesus do?

Jesus - when He returned and defeated Death itself - Jesus is not recorded whining about what went on in Caiaphas' Temple. Jesus didn't go out to lunch and explain how Caiaphas was all messed up and troubled. Jesus forgave Caiaphas and moved on. Jesus let the dead bury their dead.

God is in charge. When His Son died - The Holy of Holy was revealed - the Curtain couldn't tear and yet the Curtain did tear. The floor of the Temple split open. A very - vast - statement when you consider the height of the foundation Herod had built. This is a God Sized Statement. Caiaphas had a very, very nice sarcophagus. Archaeology has found Caiaphas' tomb, sarcophagus and ruins of home. The dead were indeed left to bury their dead. God is in charge. Interestingly, there was more intact of Caiaphas forgiven than the building of the Temple.



Now what are you going to do not to bitter up? Jesus left us words He has spoken.


What's the response. Well, upon thinking about this - the response is this:

1, This is a perpetual, generations long opportunity to see the Word of God. Jesus fully and completely and by example and by worded advice - routinely faced. (The old phrases have a lot of meaning - when we are looking at them with fresh eyes, heart and soul.)

2. The Light is not overcome by the darkness.

3. Not bitter up. Not join up.

4. A Sure Defense = Prayer!!! Jesus has assured us - we have access to our Father. This Prayer is going straight past the 12 open Pearl Gates of Heaven right to Our Father:







Abba, Abba, Abba,

I am Your Child. Beloved of God.

Consider the one who has offended me:

Be kind to your fair feathered friends
for a duck may be somebody’s mother (father)
Be kind to your friends in the swamp,
where the weather is very damp.
You may think that this is the end.
Well - we pray.

Especially in October,
Dear Father,
From Ghoulies and Ghosties and Long Legged Beasties
From things that go bump in the night,
Good Father deliver us!!!

Our Father,
Who is in Heaven,
Holy is Your Name.
Jesus above All Names.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will on earth as in Heaven, we pray.
Give us this Day.
Our daily Living Bread Jesus.

Forgive me my sins,
as I forgive others who sin against me.

Lead me not into temptation,
Deliver me from evil.

Because as John bears eyewitness,
Thine is the Kingdom,
the Power
and the Glory.

We take the offender and place them in Your Loving arms.
In the name of Jesus, we gird up their loins with Truth, putting on the breastplate of Righteousness.
The helmet of Salvation. The sword of the Spirit - the Word of God. The shield of Faith. Clothing their feet in the Gospel of Peace. Praying trouble down and God's Love up.

Forever and ever in the Name of Jesus -
please cover the ones I love,
the people You've given me, increasing the Holy Spirit in our
Churches, cities, states, to the Nation and the world.
Covering us with Jesus, our Wonderful Jesus.
Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †