DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR SATURDAY DECEMBER 23:
DAILY BIBLE READING
1 John 4-5New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they
are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By
this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not
confess that[a] Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this
is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now
already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is
in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world.
Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of
God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By
this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Knowing God Through Love
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know
God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us,
that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved
us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God
so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Seeing God Through Love
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in
us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide
in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have
seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he
in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God
is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
The Consummation of Love
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in
the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is
no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves
torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love
Him[b] because He first loved us.
Obedience by Faith
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for
he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[c] he love God
whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who
loves God must love his brother also.
5 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who
loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we
know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His
commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God
overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world-our[d] faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
The Certainty of God's Witness
6 This is He who came by water and blood-Jesus Christ; not only by water,
but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the
Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there
are three that bear witness on earth:[e] the Spirit, the water, and the
blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this
is the witness of God which[f] He has testified of His Son. 10 He who
believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not
believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony
that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son
has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that
you may know that you have eternal life,[g] and that you may continue to
believe in the name of the Son of God.
Confidence and Compassion in Prayer
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us,
whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of
Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he
will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to
death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about
that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
Knowing the True-Rejecting the False
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been
born of God keeps himself,[h] and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of
the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an
understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is
true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Footnotes:
a.1 John 4:3 NU-Text omits that and Christ has come in the flesh.
b.1 John 4:19 NU-Text omits Him.
c.1 John 4:20 NU-Text reads he cannot.
d.1 John 5:4 M-Text reads your.
e.1 John 5:8 NU-Text and M-Text omit the words from in heaven (verse 7)
through on earth (verse 8). Only four or five very late manuscripts contain
these words in Greek.
f.1 John 5:9 NU-Text reads God, that.
g.1 John 5:13 NU-Text omits the rest of this verse.
h.1 John 5:18 NU-Text reads him.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James VersionR. Copyright C 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
