Christ Lives in You

Author: Ralph Miller

  • Bible Journaling 1 John 3:18

    Bible Journaling 1 John 3:18

    Interested in journaling? Today’s Bible Verse of the Day is 1 John 3:18. Here we’ll include a suggestion for an opening prayer as well as prompts for journaling to this verse.

    A woman smiles as she sits and journals

    Opening Prayer

    Lord, I open my heart and my mind to the words of your beloved Apostle John. May I take these words in, ponder them with full sincerity, and put them into action in my life. Amen.

    25 Journaling Prompts for 1 John 3:18

    1. Why does John address the reader as children?
    2. What does it mean to be a child?
    3. How am I like the children John is speaking to?
    4. What does it mean to love in truth?
    5. In what ways can I put my love into action today?
    6. How can I put my love into action with my family?
    7. How can I put my love into action with my spouse?
    8. How can I put my love into action with my children?
    9. How can I put my love into action with a friend?
    10. How can I put my love into action with a coworker?
    11. How can I put my love into action with a stranger?
    12. How can I put my love into action with my pet?
    13. Are there times when I love in words but not actions?
    14. Are there times when I don’t feel like taking action to love others?
    15. What stops me from putting my love into action?
    16. How can I overcome the obstacles that prevent love from being expressed as action?
    17. Do I love myself in action?
    18. What is one thing I will do today to show myself love?
    19. What is one thing I will do today to show myself love?
    20. What is one thing I will do today to show love to my family?
    21. What is one thing I will do today to show love to my spouse?
    22. What is one thing I will do today to show love to my children?
    23. What is one thing I will do today to show love to a friend?
    24. What is one thing I will do today to show love to a coworker?
    25. What is one thing I will do today to show love to a stranger?

  • Love in Action 1 John 3:18

    Love in Action 1 John 3:18

    Today’s Bible verse of the day is 1 John 3:18.

    Two friends help each other up a mountain

    1 John 3:18 – Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

    What Does 1 John 3:18 Mean?

    In this verse, St. John the Apostle addresses his readers as children. Children are blameless in their lack of understanding and are to be instructed with kindness and compassion, not knowing anything other than what they have been taught.

    Therefore, we could perhaps, remind ourselves that we too are children. In this way, St. John acknowledges that we have much to learn, but does not condemn us for not doing differently than we are now.

    His words are a commandment to allow our love to not just be mere speech, but action and in truth.

    Other Spiritual Practices for 1 John 3:18

    References

    New International Version (NIV)

    Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  • Bible Journaling 1 John 4:16

    Bible Journaling 1 John 4:16

    Today’s Bible Verse of the day is 1 John 4:16.

    Opening Prayer

    Lord, today I listen to your Word. May the Holy Spirit provide me with the grace to understand how to apply these words to my life and help me to understand how I may put this scripture into action, so I may become fully formed in Christ.

    20 Bible Journaling Prompts for 1 John 4:16

    Here are some ideas for your Bible journaling session. Doing all of them might take a lot of time, don’t feel like you have to do them all. Please pick a one or two that stand out to you and work from there. If the Holy Spirit guides you in another direction, go with it!

    1. How do I know the love of God?
    2. Do I rely on God’s love?
    3. What does it mean to rely on God’s love?
    4. How is God’s love present in my life?
    5. How can I open myself more to the experience of God’s love?
    6. How can I come to rely on God’s love in deeper and more meaningful ways?
    7. What do the words “God is Love” mean to me?
    8. How do I experience “God is Love”
    9. How do I share “God is Love” with my family?
    10. How do I share “God is Love” with my spouse?
    11. How do I share “God is Love” with my children?
    12. How do I share “God is Love” with my friends?
    13. How do I share “God is Love” with a coworker?
    14. How do I share “God is Love” with a stranger?
    15. Am I living in love?
    16. What is preventing me from living in love?
    17. How can I resolve these obstacles so I may live in love more fully?
    18. Do I recognize that God lives in me when I live in love?
    19. Am I ready to experience God living in me more fully? Or am I afraid? If so, what am I afraid of?
    20. If God lives in me, does that mean he lives in others who live in love? How can I recognize God living in others?
  • 5 Minute Guided Meditation 1 John 4:16

    5 Minute Guided Meditation 1 John 4:16

    In this 5-minute guided meditation, may the Bible verse 1 John 4:16 offer a doorway into the experience of Christ Jesus within.

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  • Lectio Divina 1 John 4:7

    Lectio Divina 1 John 4:7

    Today’s Lectio Divina practice is on 1 John 4:7. In this practice, we’ll call upon the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of the verse for our life.

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  • God is Love 1 John 4:16

    God is Love 1 John 4:16

    In today’s Bible Verse of the day, we examine 1 John 4:16. In this verse, we explore the God’s love for us, and how we can rely on it as a support for our daily practice of living in love.

    The words from 1 John 4:16 'God is love' written on angel wings.

    1 John 4:16 – 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.

    What Does 1 John 4:16 Mean?

    The words of 1 John 4:16 are very clear: God is Love. When we live in love, we live in God, and God lives in us. While these words are straighforward, they may be difficult to practice. For example, what are the things in your life that prevent you from living in love? Perhaps we need to address those things fully in order to fully realize the meaning of these words.

    In addition, the first part of the verse gives us an assurance on which we can rely. How are we supported in living in love? It is God’s love that we rely on. So we know we are not doing this alone. God loves us.

    Other Spiritual Practices on 1 John 4:16

    Interested in exploring the meaning of this Bible verse more? Participate in one of the following spiritual practices.

  • Guided Meditation 1 John 4:7

    Guided Meditation 1 John 4:7

    Today’s guided meditation is on 1 John 4:7. This Bible verse about love will help us to understand and connect with the Scripture, revealing the experience of the Living Word within our interior interior life.

    Pope Francis shares, meditation “is a phenomenon to be welcomed, because we possess an interior life that cannot always be neglected.”

    Don’t neglect this Verse; meditate upon 1 John 4:7 today. All it takes is 10 minutes.

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    Christian Meditation Group

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    References

    References New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  • Lectio Divina 1 John 4:7

    Lectio Divina 1 John 4:7

    Today’s Lectio Divina practice is on 1 John 4:7. In this practice, we’ll call upon the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of the verse for our life.

    Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel

    Lectio Divina Group

    Join Our Lectio Divina Group
  • Bible Journaling 1 John 4:7

    Bible Journaling 1 John 4:7

    Interested in journaling on today’s Bible Verse of the Day? You’re gonna love what we’ve prepared for you today.

    Opening Prayer

    I invite the Holy Spirit to be present in my practice of Bible journaling on the verse 1 John 4:7. I bow my head, and pray for God’s blessings. May these the Holy Spirit reveal the message this verse holds for my life at this time. May I understand how to take action on these words, so that I may become fully formed in Christ.

    A man sits and journals with a Bible on his lap.

    24 Bible Journaling Prompts for 1 John 4:7

    Here are some ideas to help you with your practice. Please don’t feel like you have to do ALL of these. Perhaps pick one or two that stand out to you and start journaling from there. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and if you are led to journal using a prompt not offered below, go for it!

    1. How do I follow the command to love one another?
    2. What is something that gets in the way of me loving others?
    3. Is there someone in my life who I am struggling to love? How can I move through my issues to have more love for them?
    4. Do I love myself?
    5. What stands in the way of me loving myself?
    6. One way I show love to myself is __________________
    7. Do I love God?
    8. What stands in the way of me loving God?
    9. How can I love God more?
    10. One way I show my love to God is _________________
    11. Do I feel like I know God?
    12. How can I get to know God more?
    13. One thing I love about myself is ____________________
    14. One thing I love about my spouse is _______________
    15. One thing I love about my child is _______________
    16. One thing I love about my family is _______________
    17. One thing I love about my coworker is _______________
    18. One thing I love about my boss is _______________
    19. One thing I do to express love to others is ____________________
    20. One things I do today to love my spouse is ___________________
    21. One things I do today to love my children is ___________________
    22. One things I do today to love one of my family members is ___________________
    23. One things I do today to love a coworker is ___________________
    24. One things I do today to love a stranger is ___________________
  • Love One Another 1 John 4:7

    Love One Another 1 John 4:7

    Today’s Bible verse of the day is 1 John 4:7. This Bible verse about love encourages Christians to love one another.

    1 John 4:7 – 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.

    Multi-racial children smile and hold a large globe over their heads together

    What Does 1 John 4:7 Mean?

    The letters of John were written by St. John the Apostle, son of Zebedee. John was a disciple of Jesus. These letters were meant to encourage the Christian communities at the time to remain faithful to the teachings of Christ. The predominate message is to lead a moral life and imitate Christ. Following Christ’s Commandments, especially the command to love one another is central to the theme of John’s letters.

    John reveals the intimacy he has with these communities by addressing them as “dear friends.” There are six main aspects to this verse:

    1. Love comes from God
    2. God is love
    3. When you love, you know God
    4. When you love, you are born of God
    5. If you do not love, then you do not know God
    6. Therefore, to know God, you must love

    More Spiritual Practices on 1 John 4:7