Friday, January 23, 2026

Opening Scripture

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:20-21

Opening Prayer

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness stretches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. How priceless is your unfailing love! Your people find shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own table, letting them drink from the river of delights. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

Daily Bible Reading

1 John 4

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. 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, 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.

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

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 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. 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. 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.

We love because he first loved us. 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. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Reflection  

This may be one of the most significant chapters in the whole Bible. I dare say, if you “get” this passage, you essentially “get” Christianity.

John begins by warning again about the heresy of Gnosticism. There were false prophets (under the influence of Satan) who denied the divine incarnation of Christ. Some of them taught that Jesus was simply a man who had the Spirit of God come on him at baptism and leave him at death. “This is the spirit of the antichrist.”

It’s obvious what the central theme of Chapter 4 is. John uses the word “love” in its various forms almost 30 times in this passage. We can sum up his message like this: “God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in them.”

It’s impossible for us to over-emphasize the importance of love in our understanding of who God is and what the abundant, eternal life is all about. It seems too good to be true. In fact, our fallen, finite minds cannot grasp the fullness of it on our own.

In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul attempts to describe the indescribable. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Flourishing Habit

Close Social Relationships

At First Baptist Church, we often say: Blessed people bless people.

This life principle speaks to our sense of self, relational and spiritual health, and source of well-being. What primarily shapes and informs your identity? What’s your typical response to the question, “How are you doing?” Who or what do you depend on for meaning and fulfillment?

Too often, we base our thoughts and feelings on the immediate circumstances. Frequently, we simply reflect back to people what we think we received from them, positive or negative. If we’re not careful, we can become a weather vane that just follows whichever way the wind blows.

In friendship and marriage, we often depend on the other person to help us feel good about ourselves. This emotional dependency can lead to feelings of emptiness or inadequacy if we aren’t receiving the validation or approval we want.

When our relationship with God is deep and personal, He fills our emotional tank with His love, support, goodness, and grace. While we appreciate encouragement from others, we don’t depend on it to know who we are and feel good about ourselves. In fact, we have encouragement to spare and blessing to share!

Ask God to help you “know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!