S – A fool gives full vent to his anger,^, but a wise person holds it in check. 

Proverbs 29:11 CSB

O – Commentary:

A fool (kesîl; see comments on 1:7) readily gives in to anger (cf. 15:1; 29:8, 22), but a wise person maintains self-control (cf. 14:29; 16:32). Keeps himself under control is literally, “calms it back” like stilling a storm. The verb is used only here and in Psalms 65:7; 89:9 where it refers to calming the sea’s waves

“Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – Anger is healthy until it is unhealthy.  We need to express our displeasure or disagreement with things.  That is part of being a unique individual.   When we disagree with someone in a healthy way, it can bring more unity than distance.  When it goes into unhealthy, trust and relationships are broken.  Unity cannot be achieved because the distance is too great.

R—Heavenly Father, we love you today. Thank you for making us all unique individuals. Help us have healthy interactions with each other that bring unity and not distance. In our differences, let us come together as one.

S – Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three that testify:^{, 8} the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.

1 John 5:6–8 CSB

O – Commentary:

And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross (literally This is he who came by water and blood): John’s contemporary, the heretic Cerinthus, taught that “the Christ” descended as a spirit on the man Jesus when he was baptized but left him before he died. The truth is that Jesus’ baptism and death confirmed his identity as the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth was and is truly the Christ, the Son of God, from the beginning and forever.

5:7–8 three witnesses: The Spirit descended on Christ at his baptism (see John 1:32–34). The water is the water in which Christ was baptized (see Matt 3:13–15; Mark 1:9–11). The blood is the blood that Christ shed at his crucifixion (see Mark 15:37–39). All three proclaim Jesus as God’s Son (5:6)

 New Living Translation Study Bible 

A – Even years after his death, Jesus was questioned about who God said he was.  We do that today.  We must know God’s word and invite him to reveal more of his “mysteries” to us.  The closer we know and understand God, the more our faith grows.  Jesus is foundational to our relationship with God.  We must believe that he was the Christ, born as a man and still, God.  His baptism and death on the cross are historical facts that point us to our true savior.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of all.  Thank you for Jesus coming to earth, being baptized and going to the cross.  Your love for us exceeds our comprehension.  We step towards you today to know you more intimately.  

S – This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior

1 John 4:13–14 CSB

O – Commentary:

The Greek for “of His Spirit” (ek tou pneumatos) suggests participation in the Spirit of God, literally, “He has given us out of His Spirit.” The same construction occurs in 1 John 3:24. When a believer loves, he is drawing that love from God’s Spirit (cf. Rom. 5:5), who is also the Source of his confession of Christ (1 John 4:2). Thus both the faith and the love enjoined in the dual “command” of 3:23 are products of the Spirit’s operation in a believer. A believer’s Spirit-led obedience becomes the evidence that he is enjoying the mutual abiding relationship with God that John wrote about.

“1 John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – Faith and love work cohesively in us because of the Holy Spirit.   Along with our confession of who Jesus is, all three are evidence that God is working in us.  The evidence of this in our lives allows us to share God’s love with others.  Born into sin, it shows how God continues to transform us to be more like him.

R – Heavenly Father, we love and honor you.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit doing the work in us that allows us to love, grow in our faith and share about Jesus.  Your work in us empowers us to accomplish your will and purpose today.

S – Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

1 John 3:18 CSB

O – Commentary:

The true test of love is not one’s verbal profession of it (loving with words or tongue) but his willingness to help and thus to love … with actions and in truth

“1 John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – We can talk about what we believe and others will notice.  Yet, when we do what we believe, others will see the integrity and character of what we say.  Words are an important expression of what we deeply believe.  When we couple our words and actions we bring the richness of what we believe for others to be impacted.

R – Heavenly Father, we worship you as the true God.  Please help our words and actions to align.  Give us the strength and courage to say what we believe and accompany that with actions demonstrating it.  We want to be authentic with integrity in our walk with you.

S – I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 

² My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalms 121:1–2 CSB

O – Commentary:

The mountains were known for their idolatrous worship (Deut 12:2), and Israel was enticed to the hilltop shrines (Hos 4:13). This verse can be understood as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer: The gods of the hilltop shrines cannot rescue anyone. Others understand the mountains to be a symbol of the Lord’s strength (95:4). In that case, the question would be interpreted literally (Where does my help come from?), with the answer given in the next verse.

 New Living Translation Study Bible

A—It is easy for us to put our “trust” in something other than God. It could be our job, title, position, relationship, or accomplishment.  When we know the Lord, we recognize He is the one thing that doesn’t change.  From creation til today, He is over all and ready to do life with us.

R – Heavenly Father, we surrender and worship you today.  We invite you into all that we face today.  We will not put our trust in anything else.  Knowing that you love and care for us, we can confidently step toward you.

S – The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

1 John 2:9–10 CSB

O – Commentary:

…A Christian who can hate his fellow Christian has not genuinely escaped from the darkness of this present passing Age. To put it another way, he has much to learn about God and cannot legitimately claim an intimate knowledge of Christ. If he really knew Christ as he ought, he would love his brother.

2:10–11. By contrast, whoever loves his brother lives in the light of the new Age which has dawned in Christ (cf. v. 8). There is nothing in him (in one who loves his brother) to make him stumble. Hatred is a kind of internal “stumbling block” which can lead to disastrous spiritual falls. But the calamities to which hatred leads are avoided by one who loves his brother.

“1 John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – We should not detest others.  Instead, we should love them unconditionally.  Looking to Jesus as our example, he forgave those who killed him.  He saw beyond people’s actions to see their hearts.  That is how we love those who persecute us.  We can do this when the Holy Spirit empowers us.

R – Heavenly Father, we need you to help us today.  We surrender and invite your Holy Spirit to empower us with your love, mercy and grace for others.  Allow us to see them as you see them, not as we experience their shortcomings.  We choose to love you and love people.

S – If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

1 John 1:8–9 CSB

O – We all sin.  Either we choose not to believe it and live the lie that we are “ok.”  Or, we believe God’s word and confess and receive his forgiveness.

A – This is where fear and pride are important.  Our fear and insecurities recognize we are not living the best life and we choose to hide our faults.  Our pride comes in and says, “I can handle this.”  We choose to rely on our limited capabilities and talents.  When we turn to God, it is a surrender and invitation.  We surrender our inadequacies and fail to Him.  God meets us where we are and forgives us in his unlimited capacity.  He erases the past and empowers us for a better future.

R – Heavenly Father, we exalt you as our Lord and King.  We ask that you forgive us of our sins – we are sinners.  Empower us to walk with you in confidence and strength as we desire to follow your commands and will.

S – A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him. 

Proverbs 28:22 ESV

O – “Stingy” is defined as “unwilling to give or spend; ungenerous.”  Poverty in the Hebrew means “want.”  Reread the verse – A person who is “Me” focused and hoards is unaware that it will all lead to desiring what they don’t have.  

A – It is healthy to desire good things and more.  It is promised in God’s word.  The pathway to attaining those things is generosity.  Our focus must be on others and how our time, talent and treasure can benefit them.  In doing so, it reflects the heart of God and his character.  That allows God to bless us in ways that align with his will and purpose for our lives.

R – Heavenly Father, we are thankful for all that you have provided for us.  You meet us where we are and empower us to be a blessing to others.  We invite your Holy Spirit to lead us to be generous and giving.  

S – Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.

2 Peter 2:9 CSB

O – Commentary:

As illustrated by Noah’s family (2:5) and Lot (2:7), the Lord is faithful to his own people. Peter’s readers needed assurance that their struggles to live godly lives in the face of false teaching and the world’s scorn would be rewarded

 New Living Translation Study Bible

A – The Lord sees all and holds each person accountable for their actions.  For those who live unrighteously, he allows them to live without his blessing.  For those who struggle to live righteously, he gives all of his promises and presence to walk daily.  In the end, God will not be mocked.  He will judge each person according to their heart and actions.  God does not require perfection.  He wants a person who is moving toward him in a relationship.

R – Heavenly Father, we give you all praise and honor.  We are sinners and we fall short of perfect righteousness.  Thank you for the blood of Jesus that washes away our sins and brings us to a place of relationship with you.  Please help us to grow more in our intimacy and knowledge of you.  Let it be reflected in our lives so you and others can see your love.

S – The one who lives with integrity will be helped, but one who distorts right and wrong 

will suddenly fall.

Proverbs 28:18 CSB

O – The person who walks in purity and blamelessness will find favor with God but those who choose self-serving ways will fail.

A—Walking with God’s favor is an advantage over living in a void of his presence. It doesn’t prevent challenges in our lives, but it allows us to draw upon God’s resources and character when facing these opportunities to grow.

R – Heavenly Father, we love you today.  We invite your Holy Spirit to lead us through your character and love in all of our challenges.  We are grateful for all that you provide us in our interactions.  We draw closer to you so we may represent your love and integrity.