1 John 1:1-4; Psalm 13

1 John 1:1-4
This letter was written by the Apostle John--the same one who wrote the Gospel of John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation. Scholars believe that he was probably the last of the 12 apostles, and they date this letter at A.D. 90, approximately 57 years after Christ's death and resurrection. And so John would have been an old man and a whole new generation would have come on the scene since Jesus walked the earth.

The letter does not seem to be written to any particular church, but instead to believers in general with the idea that it would be circulated among several congregations John had ministered to throughout the region.

It's interesting that John began this letter in much the same way as he began the Gospel of John.
John 1:1 "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God."
1 John 1:1 "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life."

I think the term "Word" for Jesus is an interesting choice. Jesus was revealed in the flesh when He came to earth. Now that He has returned to heaven, we find Him revealed in the Word of God.

The "Word" is Jesus, and when He came, He revealed God to us. John had known Him and walked with Him in close fellowship while He was here on earth, and he proclaims to us that Jesus is eternal life. v. 2-3. John is writing to believers to let them know that they also can have fellowship with the Father and the Son. John writes these things so that we can fully share his joy! v. 4

Psalm 13
A friend recently said he liked the psalms because they made him realize that everyone in the Bible was not always totally spiritual, trusting God every minute. David surely shows us that believers can be "down." Often he begins his psalms in despair, but he usually ends up praising God and expressing his trust in Him. This psalm is no exception. He begins with these questions, "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" Then he begs God to answer him. But I love vv. 5 and 6. "But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me."

David gives us a wonderful example of expressing ourselves honestly before the Lord and then trusting Him to meet our needs whatever they might be.