WEBVTT

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Day 357, or December the 23rd. Some things really

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are certain. Our thoughts today come from 1 John

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chapter 5, verse 13. I write these things to

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you who believe in the name of the Son of God,

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so that you may know that you have eternal life.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse.

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John concludes his first letter with a plea to

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love as Christ loved. He uses the word translated

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love 27 times in chapter 4 alone, and it is obviously

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a mark of real discipleship in John's mind, and

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God's too. He goes on to say that we can be sure

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of our salvation and be guided by prayer and

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freed from habitual sin. It is a lovely warm

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letter from the last physical link with Jesus

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and drips of genuine sincerity. This letter contains

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words from a godly old man who was once described

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by Jesus himself as a son of thunder alongside

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his brother James. And now today's action step.

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As John writes near the end of his earthly life,

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he yearns to transmit his certainty of eternity

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with as many people as possible, and his words

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are still a source of encouragement and assurance

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all these centuries later. He writes so that

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we will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that

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we have eternal life, the reality and not the

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illusion. There are few things in this world

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today that are absolutely certain, so much so

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that certainty has become a lost concept for

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many. Take a look in a jeweller's shop window,

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and you will see watches marked as water -resistant

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rather than waterproof. When I worked in the

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construction industry, we had for many years

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used materials that were called rot -proof. but

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are now labelled as having a high resistance

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to biodegradation. It seems we only get real

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absolutes in the advertising world when films

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are described as unforgettable or the funniest

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ever. No one ever believes this hype and therefore

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many have difficulties believing John when he

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is so dogmatic. Believing advertisers is one

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thing and believing God's word is another. God

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is totally reliable, and you can depend on that.

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We have it in writing.