The Word

1. Many may wonder why I simply publish blocks of scripture without comment.
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3. I thought that was obvious - this is the Word of God - somehow whatever I might have to say about it would compare as a bit weak.
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5. The scriptures many times don't need my or anyone else's comment.
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9. John 1
10. In the beginning the Word already existed.
11.     The Word was with God,
12.     and the Word was God.
13. 2 
14. He existed in the beginning with God.
15. 3 
16. God created everything through him,
17.     and nothing was created except through him.
18. 4 
19. The Word gave life to everything that was created,
20.     and his life brought light to everyone.
21. 5 
22. The light shines in the darkness,
23.     and the darkness can never extinguish it.
24. 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
25. 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
26. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
27. 15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
28. 16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

vines / branches

John 15 

1 “I am the true grapevine, 

and my Father is the gardener. 

2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, 

and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 

3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 

4 Remain in me, 

and I will remain in you. 

For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, 

and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; 

you are the branches. 

Those who remain in me, 

and I in them, 

will produce much fruit. 

For apart from me you can do nothing. 

6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. 

Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 

7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, 

you may ask for anything you want, 

and it will be granted! 

8 When you produce much fruit, 

you are my true disciples. 

This brings great glory to my Father.

onethree

1 Corinthians 13 

1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

blessed

This is Jesus talking here, at the beginning of what we call the Sermon on the Mount...

Matthew 5

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
    for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 “God blesses you when people mock you 

and persecute you 

and lie about you 

and say all sorts of evil things against you 

because you are my followers. 

12 Be happy about it! 

Be very glad! 

For a great reward awaits you in heaven. 

And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

it's all about love

1 John 4

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, 

for love comes from God. 

Anyone who loves is a child of God 

and knows God. 

8 But anyone who does not love 

does not know God, 

for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world 

so that we might have eternal life through him. 

10 This is real love;

not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us 

and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, 

we surely ought to love each other.

12 No one has ever seen God. 

But if we love each other, 

God lives in us, 

and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him 

and he in us.

14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes 

and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 

15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, 

and they live in God. 

16 We know how much God loves us, 

and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, 

and all who live in love live in God, 

and God lives in them. 

17 And as we live in God, 

our love grows more perfect. 

So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, 

but we can face him with confidence 

because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, 

because perfect love expels all fear. 

If we are afraid, 

it is for fear of punishment, 

and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 

19 We love each other because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, 

that person is a liar; 

for if we don’t love people we can see, 

how can we love God, 

whom we cannot see? 

21 And he has given us this command: 

Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

stinks

1 John 3

16 We know what real love is 

because Jesus gave up his life for us. 

So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 

17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion...

how can God’s love be in that person?

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; 

let us show the truth by our actions.

These days our attitude towards low income / no income people stinks.

And these verses certainly condemn the seemingly prevailing thinking towards them.

what it's about

John just lays it out here...

1 John 2 

1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. 

But if anyone does sin, 

we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. 

He is Jesus Christ, 

the one who is truly righteous. 

2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins;

and not only our sins 

but the sins of all the world.

3 And we can be sure that we know him 

if we obey his commandments. 

4 If someone claims, 

“I know God,” 

but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, 

that person is a liar 

and is not living in the truth. 

5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him.

 That is how we know we are living in him. 

6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; 

rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. 

This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. 

8 Yet it is also new. 

Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, 

and you also are living it. 

For the darkness is disappearing, 

and the true light is already shining.

9 If anyone claims, 

“I am living in the light,” 

but hates a fellow believer, 

that person is still living in darkness. 

10 Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light 

and does not cause others to stumble. 

11 But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness.

 Such a person does not know the way to go, 

having been blinded by the darkness.