Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 203 – 1 John 2:7-11 – True Light Is Already Shining – Growing As Disciples

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.  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.  If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness.  Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.  But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. 1 John 2:7-11 (NLT)

Love Others 

Have you heard from me? Are you listening attentively to me? Have you heard the message that I want to convey to you? Do you understand how I want you to think and speak and act in the darkness of this world? Do you know how I want to use you to break down darkness in this world? Do you know how to stand out and shine brightly for me in the darkness of this world? Before you attempt to answer any of my questions, there is something that I want you to know. What is that? You can see the darkness of this world by the way people treat each other. How so? You can gauge the darkness of the world by the lack of love and the amount of hate you can see in it. So now, go ahead, answer the questions that I have asked of you. It is my desire to hear from you. I am listening attentively to you. I do believe I have heard the message you want to convey to me. I think I do know how you want me to think and speak and act in the darkness of this world. How so? You want me to follow your example. You want me to think and speak and act like you. You want me to become like you. You want me to love like you loved. You want me to serve like you served. You want me to give like you gave. If I think and speak and act like you, I will shine like a star in the universe. By loving and serving and giving, I will stand out, I will be different, I will be countercultural. People will be drawn to you, because they will see your life being lived out in and through me. Is that what you want? Yes, that is what I want. That is the desire of my heart. I want to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I want people to be drawn to you. I want people to one day come to live forever in heaven with you. That is true fruit, that will last for eternity. Yes, it will. Now, I know that this can only be accomplished by becoming like you, following your example, and doing what you did. That is true. That is what I will do, I will love others, with your help. That will be very good. You will have my help. Thank you, Lord. 

Lord, I will listen attentively to you. I will hear what you have to say to me. I will listen to your message. I will follow your example. Help me to love others just as you have loved me. Help me to love others and break down the unloving darkness in the world. Amen

Key Question… How is the love of Jesus Christ shining through you breaking down darkness in the world?

Living It Out… Make every effort to follow Christ’s example to love others, even those who seem unlovable.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to love others to break down unloving darkness in the world.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are extending love to seemingly unlovable people.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you love others and break down darkness in the world.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 203 -1 John 2-7-11 – True Light Is Already Shining – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 205 – 1 John 2:12-14 – Word Of God Lives In You – Growing As Disciples

I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.  I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.  I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:12-14 (NIV) 

My Word

What has been written for you? What has been sent to you? What message do I want you to take deep in your heart and mind and soul? You want me to know that you have forgiven my sins and cleansed my unrighteousness. You want me to know that you have secured a new life for me to live. You have charted a new course for me. You have made it my desire to love and follow and serve you with all that is within me. You have made it my delight to go and do whatever is good and right and true. You have made it my passion to do what is pleasing to you. Yes, this is all true. These are thoughts and words and actions that I want to you to think and speak and act upon.

Have I given you any instructions? How will you know if you are living your life according to my will? How will you know if your life is on course? What will help to run strong and finish well on the course that I have laid out for you? How will you be made strong and able to overcome attacks from the evil one? Most of all, how can you be sure that you will come to know and love me with all that is within you? You have given me instructions. You have made your will known to me. You have charted a course and laid out a map for me. Not a map, in the traditional sense. But your word is a roadmap of how you want me to live my life with and for you. What will you do with my word? I will meet with you in your word. I will listen attentively to all that you have to say to me. I will allow your word to live within me. What will my word do for you? Your word will guard and guide me. Your word will comfort and encourage me. Your word will keep me on course. Your word will help me to run strong and finish well. Your word will strengthen me and make me able to overcome every attack from the evil one. As I meet with you in your word, I will come to know and love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. Yes, you will and that will be very good. Thank you, Lord. 

Lord, I will allow your word to dwell in me. I will take your word deep into my heart and mind and life. I will allow your word to change my heart, transform my mind and guide my life. I will allow your word to make me strong and able to overcome the evil one. Amen

Key Question… How are you making it your daily practice to allow the word of God to live in you?

Living It Out… Allow the word of God to dwell in you so that you will be able to overcome the evil one.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the word of God dwelling in you will help you to overcome the evil one.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are allowing the word of God to dwell in you.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you allow the word of God to live in you, so you can overcome the evil one.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 205 – 1 John 2-12-14 – Word Of God Lives In You – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 202 – 1 John 2:15-17 – Do Not Love This World – Growing As Disciples

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NLT)

Love Me

You have two choices before you. Just two choices? Yes, only two choices. What are my choices? You can love the world and everything in it. You can pursue comfort and pleasure. You can seek after awards and accomplishments and accolades. You can revel in the applause of others. You can try to acquire an abundance of possessions. You can be filled with pride with what you have and what you have accomplished. You can crave what you don’t have or haven’t done. You can be on a constant, never ending, unsatisfied search for more of the latest and greatest best thing. You can have your heart and mind and life entirely focused on this world and all it offers. Wait a minute, what you have already outlined seems like way more than two choices. I haven’t even gotten to your other choice yet. Everything I have outlined so far is part of one choice. I want to hear more about the other choice that is before me. That’s good. 

You can love me. That is my other choice? Yes, that is your other choice. Are the two choices in opposition to each other? That is a very good question. You can’t love me and love the world. They are two different desires. They are two different courses. One leads away from me. The other leads toward me. If you love me, you will draw near to me. You will come to know and love and follow and serve me. It will be your joy and pleasure to live a life of doing what pleases me. You will go wherever I guide you. You will do whatever I ask you. You will live and walk through life with me. You will live in my presence. You will hear my voice leading and guiding you through life. My hand will be on you. You will bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name. You will one day come to live forever in heaven with me. All of this is part of the other choice that is before you. I see, now the two choices before me are quite clear. What is your choice? You know my choice. You knew my choice before I was even born. That’s true. I still want to hear you say aloud, what is your choice. I will love you. I will follow you. I will serve you. I will live my life with and for you. All that I have, all that I am, all that I hope to be, is yours. I am giving myself to you, with all that is within me. That is very good. 

Heavenly Father, I will not love the world and all it offers me. I will not be filled with pride over what I have or have done. I will not seek comfort and pleasure. I will not crave what I do not have. Instead, I will love you by living a life that is pleasing to you. Amen

Key Question… How is your love for God putting an end to your love for the things of the world?

Living It Out… Do not love the things of this world rather love God and live a life of doing what is pleasing to Him.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that God will help you to love Him by living a life of doing what is pleasing to Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are living a life of doing what is pleasing to God.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you love God and live a life of doing what is pleasing to Him.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 202 – 1 John 2-15-17 – Do Not Love This World – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 201 – 1 John 1:5-10 – Living In The Light – Growing As Disciples

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.  So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.  If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:5-10 (NLT)  

Fellowship With Me

Do you want to live in fellowship with me? Do you want to live in an intimate relationship with me? Do you want there to be no barriers between us? Yes, I want to live in fellowship with you. Yes, I want to live in an intimate relationship with you. I certainly do not want there to be any barriers between us. These are all passionate desires of my heart. I could want and ask for nothing greater than to live my life in an intimate relationship with you. How can this desire be fulfilled in my life? That is a very good question. There will be no mystery in the answer. When you gave your life to me, when you asked me to be your Savior and Lord, you told me that you would leave the darkness of your old life behind you. You said that you wanted to live and walk in the light with me. You said that you would keep your heart and mind and life focused on me. Yes, I did say all these things to you. Yes, and that was and is very good. Keep on leaving your old life of darkness behind you. Keep on living and walking in the light with me. Keep on focusing your heart and mind and life on me. Follow me to where I lead you. Do what I ask of you. I will do all these things with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. I will keep on loving and following and serving you with all that is within me. That is very good.

Now, there is one more thing that I want you to do. Name it, and I will do it. Come and confess your sins to me. Never think that you are without sin. Make it your daily pattern and practice to confess your sins to me so that you can receive the forgiveness and cleansing I have for you. Then you will live in an intimate relationship with me. Then there will be no barriers between us. Then you will live in fellowship with me. It will be my joy to confess my sins and receive your forgiveness and cleansing. That will be very good. 

Lord, a couple things are absolutely certain. One, I am a sinner. I have sinned in my thoughts, words, and deeds. To think otherwise would be foolish, self-deception. Two, you will forgive and cleanse me of my sins as I confess them to you. That I will gladly do. Amen

Key Question… How has the Lord pulled you out of darkness so you can walk in the light with Him?

Living It Out… Make it your daily pattern and practice to confess your sins to the Lord.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that you will be forgiven and cleansed of your sins as you confess them to the Lord.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how it will become your daily practice to confess your sins to the Lord.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you live in the light as God is in the light.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 201 – 1 John 1-5-10 – Living In The Light – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises Day 200- 1 John 1:1-4 – Fully Share Our Joy – Growing As Disciples

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.  We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.  1 John 1:1-4 (NLT)

Fullness Of Joy 

Do you want to have fullness of joy? Do you want my joy to overflow your life? Yes, I want your fullness of joy to overflow my life. How can such a thing happen to me? How can this be true in my experience? First, I have many more questions for you. I’m listening. Do you have anything that you have heard and seen or received from me that is worth sharing with others? Have I touched your life? Did I lift your life out of the muck and mire? Did I set your feet on solid ground? Have I healed your brokenness? Have I revived and refreshed and restored your soul? Have I forgiven your sins and cleansed your unrighteousness? Am I your Savior and Lord? Have I completely turned your life around and given you a brand-new life to live? Do you now have a new hope filled future, that will last forever? Do I have a plan and purpose for your life? Am I using you to accomplish my purposes and fulfill my plan? Is it now your joy to love me with all your heart and mind and soul and strength? Are you now running the race I have set before you? Is your life on course? Yes Lord, you have done and are doing all these things for me. Yes, all that you have done and are doing for me is giving me great hope and peace and joy. You are certainly my Savior and Lord. My life is in your hands, nothing could make me more grateful and thankful. I do love you with all that is within me. That is very good. 

Now then, lets come back to the topic of having your life overflowing with joy. I’d like that. Keep on remembering all that I have done and am doing for you. Don’t forget. Then simply tell others all that I have done and am doing for you. Then my fullness of joy will overflow your life. Can you do that? Can you remember? Can you tell others about all that I have done for you and the new life you have in me? Yes Lord, I can and will do that. Then you have my fullness of joy overflowing your life. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, thank you for using others to help me to come to know and love and follow and serve you. In the same way that you used others to help me to come to know you, use me to help others come to know you. Then together, we will all have fullness of joy. Amen

Key Question… How are you allowing God to use you to help others to come to know Him?

Living It Out… Allow the Lord to use you to help others to come to know Him.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that you will be filled with joy as you help others to come to know the Lord.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord is using you to help others to come to know Him.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you share with others the joy you have found in Jesus Christ.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 200 – 1 John 1-1-4 – Fully Share Our Joy – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com