The calendar has turned to September, and, in Ohio at least, we can feel it in the air. It feels like…football! As we look toward Fall and the beginning of a new season, I want to first thank you for reading this blog over the past year. I truly appreciate you, and I pray that…
Read MoreMonth: August 2023
The Close of the Letter: Three Things We Know
John has written this entire letter so that his people could know that their salvation is true, so it’s fitting that he closes the letter with three more things that we should know. As he’s done throughout this letter, John packs these little verses full of great theological truth. First, John reminds us that born-again…
Read MoreHaving Confidence in Your Prayers
Did your parents ever tell you something that you believed, and when you got older, you realized it wasn’t true? Like when your mom told you that if you made an ugly face, it would stick that way? I once heard a dad say to his daughter, “No, sweetie, the ice cream truck plays music…
Read MoreThat You May Know…
Remember that famous line in the movie Field of Dreams that goes, “If you build it, they will come”? You have no doubt that line was in the movie. However, the line is, “If you build it, he will come.” Or in the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, you just know the Evil…
Read MoreGod’s Rules are Not a Burden
We’ve been talking about John’s use of the three tests he gives his readers — the Doctrinal, Love, and Obedience tests. These are designed to help them evaluate the false teachers who have left the church. Now John rolls all three tests together into one paragraph. And, as usual, he gets right to the point: …
Read More