Psalm 116 The writer "called upon the name of The Lord" and The Lord heard him. The Lord inclines His  ear to us when we call upon Him.  He hears, He saves, He is compassionate towards us, and He deals with us "bountifully".  How bountifully?  "For Thou hast rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling." (v8).  
"Gracious is The Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate."  This is the Lord Who hears us, Who bends low to meet us in our need, Who is our Keeper, our Shade, our Fortress, and our Deliverer.  Praise Your Name O Lord, Jehovah, the I AM, self-existent, eternal, infinite, mighty, and merciful God. Thank You for hearing my cries, for saving me, for drying my tears, and for keeping me from stumbling.  I love You Lord.

I John 4-5
John writes that we "may know" -
"that we abide in Him" 4:13
"the love which God has for us" 4:16
"that we love the children of God" 5:2
"that you have eternal life" 5:13
"that He hears us in whatever we ask" 5:15
"that we have the requests which we have asked from Him" 5:15
"that no one who is born of God sins" 5:18
"that we are of God" 5:19
"that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding in order that we might know Him who is true" 5:20
God wants us to know Him.  He wants us to know His Son.  He wants us to know His love.
John has written this letter to emphasis the Truth of what it really means to know God.  God expresses Himself through His Love, proven by the coming of Jesus Christ, His Son.  Love so amazing.  Love that is greater than all our sins.  Love that brings us to know the Almighty Creator of Heaven and earth.  "This is the true God and eternal life".  Anything less is an idol.  "Little children, guard yourselves from idols" (v21).

Psalm 117  "Praise The Lord, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples!"   Everyone of us in this world must recognize and proclaim the worthiness of God.  To "laud" is to address loudly, commend, glory, triumph, praise Him.  Why?  "For His lovingkindness is great towards us, and the truth of The Lord is everlasting."   Loving-kindness - favor, mercy, goodness, towards everyone of us.  He gives rain to the wicked and the righteous.  He provides every living thing with food to eat, air to breath, grace to believe. He waits patiently for us to turn to Him.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve.  He has provided the Way of salvation, His own Son, Jesus Christ.  He loves us.  He does not want any to perish, but for all of us to repent and be His people. Great are You Lord and highly to be praised, and Your greatness is unsearchable!  ( Psalm 145).  
His love and kindness are great, but the other reason for praise is earth and heart shattering - "the truth of The Lord is everlasting".   We are told that heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will be forever, for Truth is eternal. The Lord God is infinite, eternal, transcendent, faithful and true.  It is Who He is.  We can not escape His Word, His Truth.  We think we can make up our own minds about right and wrong, about what is important and what is not, what we want our lives to look like or focus on.  But the Truth is not subject to our thoughts or feelings.  His Truth is everlasting!  "Praise The Lord!"

I John 4
V1-6  John gives us a means of testing "the spirits".  There are false prophets and false spirits, the spirit of the antichrist lives in this world.  We need to know this.  John helps us discern.
1. Don't believe everyone,  test the spirits.
2. If they do not confess that Jesus was fully man and fully God,  then don't believe them.
3. If they do not acknowledge, assent, give thanks, or proclaim Jesus Christ, beware!
4. Know that the Spirit of God has overcome the spirit of the world.  "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world"
5.  The world listens to the spirit of the antichrist.  They speak the same language.
6. We who know God, listen to the Word of God.  Those who don't know God don't listen to His Word.
God has given us His Spirit. It is God's Spirit that enables us and proves to us that God abides is us and that we abide in Him.
3:24 "And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides is us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."
4:13 "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."
This abiding is only possible because of the Holy Spirit.  The evidence of it is, first of all our proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (v1-6). And then the presence of His Love in us. (v7-21).
1. Love is from God. (v7)
2. Those who know God and are born of God - love.
3. If we don't love, then we don't know God. (v8)
4. God manifested,  revealed His love by sending Jesus into the world so that we might live.  (v9)
5. God loved us first.(10)
6. Since He loves us, we "ought" to love one another. "  (v11)
7. Loving one another is God's way of showing His presence in us - He is abiding and perfecting His love. (v12)
So, these two things - believing and confessing Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, the propitiation for our sins; and Love, abiding love, love for one another, love produced by God and perfected in us by His Spirit.  These 2 things are the supreme tests that we are His.

O I need Thee, every hour I need Thee!  Fill me with Your Love O Lord! You are Love.  You are the only source of Love. Help me to grasp this everlasting Truth, to drink it in, to know it and live it. Spirit of God, come, abide in me. I am Yours O Lord!

Psalm 118  "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter though them, I shall give thanks to The Lord. "  The gate is Yours Lord.  Jesus, You said, " Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep."( John 10:7)  " I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." ( v9).   You are the good Shepherd Who lays down His life for the sheep.  You are the way, the Truth, the Life.  Thank you Lord for making a way for us to enter into Your Kingdom, through the Gate of Righteousness.  Through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Bless Your Holy Name!

I John 3
The word "know" is repeated over and over in this chapter.  What do we know?
We know Him. We know God as our Father, because He has loved us with a great love and calls us His children. (v1)
We know that we will be like Him, like Jesus, when we see Him just as He is. (v2)
We know that He came to take away our sins and there is no sin in Him. (v5)
We know that if we are abiding in Him that we will not be abiding in sinfulness. (v6)
We know that the person who practices righteousness is God's child, but the one who practices evil is the devil's. (v7-10) The difference is obvious.
We know that love is the foremost trait of righteousness. The ultimate commandment.  The summation of all that God requires of His children. (v11)
We know that we are no longer dead, but alive.  Love is the evidence of Life. (v14-16)
We know that we walk in truth when we practice love with deeds and truth, not just with words. (v18)
We know that God knows all things, even the things in our hearts. (v19-20)
We know that we can ask and receive from Him because "we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight." v22
We know that He commands us to believe in the name of Jesus and love one another. (v23)
We know that we abide in Him "by the Spirit whom He has given us." v24
When we belong to the family of God, when we are His children, then we will have His traits.  Let Jesus be seen in me Father.  Abide in me and I in You. Amen

Psalm 118  Lord, You are good, Your lovingkindness is everlasting.  Your beautiful, merciful, kindness is perpetual. Never ending. Eternal.  I give You thanks. I extol You. I declare that You alone are worthy of praise.  For when I call upon You in my distress, You answer me. ( v5). Man can do nothing to me, for You are my help. (v6-7).  You are a better refuge, a place to find protection, a source of hope, One I can confide in,  than any man, any prince, or any nation. (v8-12).  You are my strength.  You are my song.  You are my salvation.  You are valiant in all You do. You spare me from death that I might tell of Your works.  You discipline me that I might walk through the gates of righteousness. ( v14-19).  Jesus, the "stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone."  You did that.  You have given us light. Thank You.  You are good and Your lovingkindness is everlasting.(20-29).  You are the King of Glory! Strong and mighty. Holy and kind.  I lift my eyes to You Lord, come in! "This is the day that The Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (v24).   I rejoice in You. Amen.

I John 2     John started his letter with the vital message of Who God is:  He is Light "and in Him there is no darkness at all".  We have to deal with our darkness, confessing our sins, and receive the cleansing provided through the blood of Jesus, before we can have fellowship with Him.
But, John has more to say about why he is writing.  He is writing :
So that we may not sin. (v1).
That we may know the new commandment, which isn't really new. ( v 7-8)
That we may know that our sins are forgiven us for His name's sake. (v 12)
Because we " know Him, who has been from the beginning." ( v 13)
Because we have "overcome the evil one" (v13)
Because we know Him and because we are strong and the Word of God is in us. (v14)
"I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie is of the truth." v21
"These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you." v26
John wants us all to know the Truth.  And he wants us know that we know God.
We can do that because we have Christ Jesus our Advocate.  Because He is the propitiation for our sins. It has to be in Him, through Him, and by Him.
Do I keep His commandments? Then, that is evidence that I know Him.  If I don't, then I am a liar.
Do I keep His Word? Then the love of God will be seen in me.  If it is not seen, then I am still in darkness.
Do I love my brother or do I hate him?   If I love him, then I am walking in light, if I hate him, then I am still in darkness. ( This is not about emotion, this is about action - to hate is to detest, to persecute, to be hateful and loveless.  To love is to act with affection and benevolence, to show grace and mercy)
Do I love this world or the things of this world? Do I lust after things that satisfy my body? Things that please my eyes?  Things that make me proud and boastful? Things that will pass away?
Or do I love to do the will of God? Do I stay in the Truth?
Do I deny Jesus or confess Him?
Do I abide in Him?  Am I ready for His appearing, waiting in confidence?
Am I practicing righteousness?
These are the questions on this test John gives us.  The answers are deeply personal and can only be given after searching our own hearts and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal the Truth to us.
Holy Spirit, You are the "anointing from the Holy One,".  You abide in me.  You teach me about all things.  You teach me to abide in Him.  ( v20,27).   I want to know that I know God.  Do not let me be deceived.  Fill me with Your Truth.  In Jesus' Name I ask this. Amen

Psalm 119:161-176  To stand in awe of Your Words, to rejoice, love, hope, keep, and sing Your Words,  this is my heart's desire.  Your Word - law, ordinances, commandments, testimonies,precepts, statutes;  these are my help, my treasure, my source of peace.   ".. I have chosen Thy precepts" (v173).  To guide my feet, to fill my thoughts, to bring You praise.
Thank You for this psalm of praise, this insight into the great worth of Thy Word.  Teach me Your Word and increase my understanding even more. Oh Restorer, keep my feet on Your path.  Amen.

I John 1
The Word of Life "was manifested".  Jesus came!  He was heard, seen, and touched by human hands.  He has been proclaimed by those who walked beside the Eternal Son, sent from the Father in Heaven.
"And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you,"  the message that God Himself desires for us to know, the message so important that He chose to manifest Himself on earth in a human body that could be heard and seen and touched...and beaten, and killed.  This is the message:
                            " GOD  is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all. "(v5)
We cannot fellowship with Light while walking in darkness.  We can't participate in light while we stay in the dark. We can't say we are a partner, an intimate associate with Light, with luminousness, with fire, with rays of Light; when we are black as night. That is not Truth and we lie if we say we do. (v6)
If we say we have no sin.  That is a lie. We are deceiving ourselves and we are calling God a liar.  For He has said that we are all sinners. ( v8,10)
But.... "if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." v7  How? " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We cannot walk in the Light until we get rid of the darkness.
We cannot get rid of the darkness until we acknowledge it and confess it.
To walk in the Light is to stop lying to ourselves about the darkness of sin in our lives. To confess that sin to Him Who is faithful and just, Who will cleanse us from all unrighteousness, by the Blood of Jesus.
Oh What a Wonderful Savior! Taking us out of the darkest night into the Light of His Glory!
Shine on me! Cleanse and remove all darkness, I do not want any left in my heart. Just the Light of Christ in me, my hope of glory! Amen.

Psalm 119:153-160  The psalmist calls out to The Lord,  "rescue me", "revive me"..... because "Great are Your mercies, O Lord."  The Word of God is his foundation, it is his hope, it is his path, for it is Truth.  Because he has not forgotten God's law, because he has loved and sought and obeyed,  he can rest on the promises of the Word.
In contrast the unbelievers, "the wicked", do not seek God's Word, and "salvation is far from them".  They are "treacherous".  They are persecutors and adversaries of the believer.
To find help in times of trouble, I look to You, O Lord.  In You I find my help. "Rescue for sinners, ransom from Heaven".  You are my Deliverer, my Strength, my Fortress.  In Your Word I find Life and I am revived. In Your mercy and love, I find hope.  Thank You Lord.

II Peter 2-3
 Peter warns us to "remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of The Lord and Savior spoken by the apostles." (3:2)   For the Day of Judgement will come and we must be "diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless." (v 14). In contrast Peter gives us a detailed list of the character and actions of the false teachers;
They "secretly introduce destructive heresies" ( 2:1)
They deny Jesus. "the Master who bought them"
They lead others into sensuality.
They bring disgrace upon the "way of truth" (v2)
They greedily exploit others with lies. (3)
They "indulge the flesh" (v10)
They despise authority.
They are "daring, self-willed"
They boldly "revile angelic majesties", "reviling where they have no knowledge" (v10.12)
They suffer wrong because they do wrong.
They revel even in the day time. (v13)
"They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you."
They are full of adultery, sin, enticing, unstable souls, greedy, accursed.(v14)
They forsake the right way.  They go astray.
They speak "arrogant words of vanity".
They are corrupt and overcome by their own corruption.
These people, who once claimed the Name of Jesus, have turned away, like "A dog returns to its own vomit".
They are "springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved" (v17).
Peter's warning is forceful:  If God punished rebellious angels, throwing them into hell;  If He judged the ancient world, flooding the earth and wiping out all except Noah and those in the ark; if He wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah because of their corruption, rescuing only Lot;  then He "knows how to rescue the godly from temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgement" (2:9)
There is a time coming when all of the earth and the heavens will be consumed by fire.  Destruction of "ungodly men" will happen on the day of judgement.  It is only the wonderful patience of our Lord that delays the coming destruction.  He mercifully waits, desiring "all to come to repentance".  But as certainly as the flood, the fire will come.
"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,"  - People looking for His coming,  looking for the new heavens and new earth, diligent to live for Him, on guard against false teachers and anything that hinders us from being steadfast in Jesus.  People who continue to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (3:18).
 Peter warns us to be diligent, to take careful, personal attention to our hearts.  Are we growing in His  grace? Are we adding to our knowledge of Jesus through His Word? Are we applying "all diligence" to our faith? Are we adding "moral excellence", "knowledge", "self-control", "perseverance", "godliness", "brotherly kindness" and "love".  Are we walking in the Truth?   Some who claimed to know Jesus didn't walk in the Truth and Peter says that "it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from" it. (2:21)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus!  Look full into His wonderful face!  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
May I remember Your Word, O Lord. May I walk in Your Truth and keep my eyes on You, always.

Psalm 119:145-152  The psalmist's prayer becomes my own.  I cry to You...
"answer me, O Lord!" v145
"save me" v 146
"help" v147
"Hear my voice" v149
"Revive me" v149
And like the psalmist, I come to know, "Thou art  near, O Lord" v151
He seeks You with his heart,  he rises up early, he waits eagerly for Your Word.  He turns his eyes to You through the night, he rests in Your lovingkindness. You are the source of all life.  You are the pearl of great price.  May I seek You as the psalmist did.  With whole heart, with eager anticipation, with everything I have and am.  You alone.  Amen

II Peter 1:16-21  Peter testifies of the Truth, the "true knowledge" of Jesus Christ, through Whom we have been given "everything pertaining to life and godliness".  The "precious and magnificent promises" that enable us to partake "of the divine nature".   Peter makes known to his readers and to us "the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ".   He witnessed Christ's majesty.  He witnessed the honor and glory bestowed on Jesus from the "Majestic Glory".  He heard it with his own ears.  He was on the holy mountain.
Be diligent, be careful, pay close personal attention to the Truth.  Be established in it.  Pay attention!
"as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts."
(v19)
Some will come with lies and deception.  You must have His Word, You must have Jesus only.

Jesus, be my everything. Oh Morning Star, arise in my heart.  I am seeking You, I am eagerly anticipating You. And You are near.
He is here. Hallelujah!
He is here, Amen!
He is here, glory, glory!
I will bless Your Name again!
He is here, listen closely,
He is calling out your name,
He is here, you can touch Him,
You will never be the same!