Hello my friend Dr. Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh.

This is your daily reading of the Bible from a progressive point of view.

In a bit I will read the New Testament lesson selected from the Revised Common Lectionary for this very day.

The reading is understandable.

I use the message version relatable.

Please listen to the points to ponder and applicable with action steps you can take.

We pray and are done in less than 10 minutes.

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Here's today's reading and we're reading from.

1 John 5:1 12.

That's the epistle of John.

The letter first John, not the gospel of John.

So it's 1 John 5:1 12 from the message Every person who believes that Jesus is in fact the Messiah is God born.

If we love the one who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived.

The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this.

Do we love God?

Do we keep his commands?

The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.

The Power that Brings the World to Its Knees Every God born person conquers the world's ways.

The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith.

The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus the Divine Christ.

He experienced a life giving birth and a death killing death.

Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death.

And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God's presence at Jesus baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us.

A triple testimony.

The Spirit, the baptism, the Crucifixion and the three are in perfect agreement.

So if we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning His Son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God's testimony.

Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God's own testimony regarding His Son.

This is the testimony.

In essence, God gave us eternal life, the life is in his Son.

So whoever has the Son has life.

Whoever rejects the Son rejects life.

Well, that ends the reading.

And my friend, I just thank you for making some space in your life for us to have a conversation about this important reading of scripture.

From the Epistle 1 John 5, 1:12 where John likes to ties the love of God to like the love of God's children.

He says God's commands aren't meant to be burdens.

And he talks here what I think is very cool about the triple testimony, Spirit baptism, crucifixion and that who confirms who Jesus is.

He's the one who brings it all together.

God gave us eternal life, the life of His Son.

So let's go a little deeper with some points to ponder from a progressive perspective.

The first is love of God equals love of neighbor.

Period.

John's reality test is simple.

If we love the one who conceives we love the ones conceived God's children.

Progressive faith refuses to separate devotion from dignity.

Loving God means safeguarding people, especially those who've been sidelined, such as our LBGTQ siblings, immigrants, black, brown, people of any color, our neighbors, our patients, caregivers, the poor.

Commands become pathways to belonging, not barriers to keep people out.

A second point to ponder is God's commands are meant to liberate, not load us down.

They are not at all troublesome is what it says here in the scripture that doesn't deny hardship, it just reframes the purpose.

Commands are for human flourishing, truth telling, equity, mercy, repair.

And if our religion adds shame and heavy yokes, we've missed the heart of our religion.

A progressive perspective on this asks does this practice reduce suffering and expand justice?

And if yes, we keep it.

If not, change it.

A third point to ponder Faith conquers the world's ways by embodying Jesus story John's triple testimony.

Remember what it is Spirit baptism, crucifixion that points to a pattern public solidarity, costly love and spirit led life.

Conquering here in this case isn't about domination.

It's about dismantling harm, racism, misogyny, transphobia, exploitation and rebuilding communities of care.

We witness to Jesus when our choices look like this.

Accessible care, shared power, nonviolent courage.

Love is practical, faithful and stubbornly joyful.

Let's talk about an action step this week.

Make a command light.

What is that means pick some circumstance where there's a command in your life that gets heavy.

Make serving and loving your neighbor what you're all about.

Tell the truth, seek justice and translate it into one small liberating practice.

Let's break it down a little bit further for a neighbor.

Maybe text or call someone who's under some strain.

Maybe someone who's a caretaker for someone else who's going through cancer or a single parent.

Maybe offer to babysit or provide a meal.

Ask what would make their week, their load of their week lighter.

Then do it.

Provide a meal, give a ride, paperwork, help with childcare, do something Area of Truth Challenging a harmful narrative once that is correct misinformation or advocate for people who have been disrespected and back to a marginalized voice in a meeting Justice Take a public step towards justice.

Email your representative about a mental health issue or about worker protections or about some practice which is subordinating others.

Contribute to a mutual aid society that's like a food bank or close closet.

Volunteer an hour for such a program as well.

Or just look for some way that you can contribute to the greater good.

Let it be small, Let it be concrete, let it be repeatable.

Let it be commands that set people free.

We'll come back and have a prayer.

Here in just a minute.

I want you to know before as we do that, that we have a great resource for you.

It's called the ABC 123 Bible Study Method.

Invite you to go over to our website, voiceofgoddaily.com that's where you can pick it up.

Let's pray.

Oh God of life in Jesus, teach us the kind of love that shows up, the kind that makes heavy weeks lighter, the kind that refuses shame and practices repair.

Let your spirit breathe through our ordinary days so faith becomes courage and courage becomes care.

Bless patients and caregivers alike, the tired and the trying, night shift workers, new parents, anyone stuck in red tape and just meet us in hospitals and other places, outdoors, in family groups and in laughter.

Meet us in all these places.

Make your commands feel like freedom and let our communities be places where your life is tangible.

Amen.

My friend.

I am delighted you chose to join me for today's reading.

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Thanks much.

My name is Dr. Brad Miller and I'll be right here tomorrow with your Daily Bible Refresh.

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Remember, God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up.

Gets created new every morning.