1 John 5:1-5

1 John 5:1-5
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 I always thought it would be cool to have one of those no-limit credit cards, especially one where someone else was paying the bills.  Imagine feeling like you could buy anything -- want to buy everyone in the world an ice cream cone?  Done.  Want a yacht?  Put it on the card.  It'd be fun, right?  You'd have complete confidence that you could buy anything.
  Jesus is trying to teach us to have that kind of confidence in God.  If we truly believe that all things are possible through faith, we are joining our lives with God's eternal and overwhelming victory.  We are a part of the greatest conquering force in the world, one that does so through the power of selfless love, and we shall celebrate this victory forever.  All of this is made possible through faith in Christ.
  What kind of confidence do you have?  Do you believe you are part of defeating the world?  Our faith gives us victory!

1 John 4:13-21

1 John 4:13-21
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Let's say you're walking down the street today and someone comes up to you and asks you to summarize the entire teachings of the Bible.  You'd be stuck trying to think of how best to sum it all up, right?  You'd want to try and capture all the important teachings, and you likely would be concerned about leaving something important out.  It's hard, especially considering how esoteric some of the things in the Bible are.  It's hard for adults who have lived with the Bible their entire lives to grasp some of the concepts.
  At the heart of the story, however, it can be so simple.  I think we tend to complicate it somewhat just because we have a hard time grasping that it really is so simple -- God has loved us eternally and unconditionally, and when we rejected God to his face, he loved us anyway.  He loved us when we didn't deserve it, and he promised that such love would always be with us, into the depths of eternity.  That's the Gospel story, and if we as the church could figure out how to live that out each and every day rather than arguing about some of the things we argue about, I bet a lot of people would be very interested in learning more about God and his undying love.
  So who and how will you love today?

1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:7-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 God has loved you with an everlasting love.  Nothing will ever separate you from it, and God will love you eternally.  The love of God is fiercer than you can imagine, and it will shelter with you in the boldest storms of your life.  It celebrates with you on the mountaintops and mourns with you in the valleys.  God loves you, not because you are worthy, but because he is worthy and merciful and gracious and kind.
  So, therefore, how will you live?
  Will you hoard that love, keeping it to yourself?
  Or will you share it, inviting others to know, treasure and share that same love, to be transformed by unconditional love that heals old wounds and changes eternal destinies?  Will you be a conduit of God's love?

1 John 4:1-6

1 John 4:1-6
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Know what's a great feeling when you're a kid?  If someone threatens you and another person sticks up for you, someone more powerful than you, you feel pretty good to have that person on your side.  Or maybe your boss at work stands up for you in a meeting -feels good, right?
  Well, in reality, whenever you go into the world, the Spirit of the living God, the same spirit that moved over the waters in the beginning of time and created the entire world, that Spirit goes with you whenever you act or speak.  That same Spirit is with you, and if you trust in the Spirit, it will lead you forward  So no matter what threatens you, you need not be afraid, because the Spirit of the Living God is with you always.  Listen to God -- don't let the other voices in the world lead you to a place of fear.  God is with you!!!