Changed by God’s love – letting his love flow out to us and letting his love flow out through us

In Christ Jesus,... the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6). We're called to put our faith in God. What kind of God do we believe in? In 1 John 4:8, we read the words, "God is love." If we are to become more like God, we are to pray …

How are we to become more like our Lord – loving the people of this world without loving the ways of the world?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what …

The Kingdom Of God: John’s Gospel And Letters

'He's a born again Christian.' This phrase suggests that there are some Christians who are born again, and there are  other Christians who are not born again. What are we to make of this? According to Jesus, you cannot be a Christian unless you have been born again. There is no such thing as a …

The School of Discipleship (15): Learning from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, “The Cost of Discipleship”

What can we learn from Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship? This book was first published when Bonhoeffer was only 31 years old. Page references are to the edition I was using at the time I wrote these notes. I've included the page references. It will give you a rough idea of the part of …

Responding to God’s Word (55): Soldiers of Christ, arise.

Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love (2 John, verse 1). I have no greater joy than to hear that my children …

The Word and the words (15): The way to the Father … the way of love and holiness … the way to heaven

“Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later " (John 13:36). "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go …

There’s a difference between life under the sun and life in the Son.

There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17). There's a difference between life "under the sun" and life in the Son. It's important that we understand this difference. Life under the sun: this is life, …

God’s Word still speaks to us (22): The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.

The blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). How are we, sinners, to come to the God of perfect holiness? There is only one way in which we, sinners, can come to the God of perfect holiness, We come through Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for us on the …

1 John 1-2

The Christian life is grounded in Jesus Christ: "His blood cleanses us from all sin" (chapter 1); "He is the sacrifice that takes our sins away" (chapter 2). With Christ in full view, the Christian life is very different from a legalistic way of life. What does it mean to say that the Christian life …

1 John 3-5

There is, here, a call to holiness. We are "to live a holy life... to be holy, just as God is holy." We are enabled to do this through "God's seed within us." "Living a holy life" involves "loving our brothers (and sisters): "we are to love one another" (chapter 3). When we live this …

Praying Through God’s Word: 1 John

1 John 1:1-2:17We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, “Jesus Christ” died “for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2). This is Good News. It’s great news! It’s the best news we could ever hear – and it comes from You. What love You have for us. Help us not to keep this love to ourselves. Help …

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

Daniel 11:36-12:13; 1 John 5:1-21; Psalm 139:1-10 Scripture speaks of “the time of wrath” (Daniel 11:36), “a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” (Daniel 12:1). For some, this will bring “shame and everlasting contempt.” Through the grace of God, others will receive “everlasting life” (Daniel 12:20). …

When the Lord spoke to me, I was strengthened.

Daniel 9:20-11:1; 1 John 3:11-4:6; Psalm 137:1-9 “When He spoke to me, I was strengthened” (Daniel 10:19). The strength we receive from the Lord is a greater strength than the temptations we face – “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). To know …

God’s love endures for ever.

Daniel 7:1-8:14; 1 John 2:12-27; Psalm 136:13-26 Daniel 7:13-14 looks forward, prophetically, to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the future towards which history is moving, the future towards which God is working, the future of the Kingdom of God. This world is passing away, “but the man who does the …

The Holy Spirit Leads Us In The Way Of Victory.

John 15:20, 26, 16:13–15, 33, Rom 12:2, 2 Tim 3:12, 1 John 5:4–5 Jesus was ‘persecuted’. We will be ‘persecuted’ - ‘all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted’ (John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12). We have no guarantee that life will be easy. In all our difficulties, ‘the Spirit of truth’ directs …

We learn to love God, as we learn to appreciate His love for us.

Daniel 11:2-35; 1 John 4:7-21; Psalm 138:1-8 Daniel 11 is concerned with conflict. This is part of our spiritual experience as well as Israel’s military experience. There is an enemy who opposes the Lord and His people. Nevertheless, “the people who know their God will firmly resist him” (Daniel 11:32). How are we able to resist …

Perfect love casts out fear.

"There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). Where do we find perfect love? Is there such a thing as perfect love? We will never find perfect love in our hearts - but we will find perfect love, when we look away from ourselves to Jesus Christ. What …

Do not be afraid.

‘Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard’ (2 Kings 19:6). God’s Word tells us that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). It’s His perfect love which gives us the victory over those who oppose Him.

God’s Kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end.

Daniel 5:17-6:28; 1 John 1:1-2:11; Psalm 136:1-12 “For He is the living God and He endures for ever; His Kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end” (Daniel 6:26). “His love endures for ever” (Psalm 136). God is the God of love. His Kingdom is the Kingdom of love. God is eternal. His …

The degree of AUG

"The Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6). Reading these words brought back to me some distant memories from many years ago. Jim Elliot, (October 8, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was a Christian missionary, and was one of five killed during Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the …

Do you want to know what love is?

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10). Do you want to know what love is? Go to the Cross of Christ. This is where we'll see the greatest love of all. There is no love like …

Genesis 2

This chapter speaks to us with childlike simplicity. It builds on the teaching of the first chapter: God is our Creator. Chapter 1 shows us the bigger picture. Chapter 2 looks, more closely, at the creation of human beings. We were made by God. We were made for God. To say that we were made …

Let there be life. Let there be light. Let there be love.

Let there be light (Genesis 1:3). As I was reading these words, two other thoughts came to mind, Let there be life, and Let there be love. As I thought about life, light and love, my thoughts turned to Jesus Christ, our Saviour. In love, God has made us alive through Jesus Christ, our Saviour …

Love Changes Everything.

In 1 John 4:8, we read the words, "God is love." How do we know that God is love? How do we know that He loves us? Knowing that God is love is more than reading these words in God's Word. It's being reached by God's love. Our hearts are touched by His love. Our …

"His dominion shall be… to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9:10).

God's purpose was moving on. He had begun with Israel. Their deliverance from bondage in Egypt was a mighty demonstration of His saving power. This was only the beginning. God was moving on to Jesus - "the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42). In Jesus Christ, crucified for us, God was reaching out, in love, …

Where do we find perfect love?

"Perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18).Where do we find perfect love?Do we find it in our own love for God? No! - Our love for God is very far from perfect.Do we find it in our love for one another? No! - Our love for one another is very far from perfect.Where do …

Thank God for Jesus, and thank Him for His gift of eternal life.

Daniel 11:36-12:13; 1 John 5:1-21; Psalm 139:1-10 Scripture speaks of “the time of wrath” (Daniel 11:36), “a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” (Daniel 12:1). For some, this will bring “shame and everlasting contempt.” Through the grace of God, others will receive “everlasting life” (Daniel 12:20). …

Walking in the light with Jesus

Blessed is the one... whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). Have we forgotten these words that come to us from the first two verses of the book of the Psalms, or do we hear another voice, the voice of our Lord …

Look, I’m standing at the door.

Look, I’m standing at the door (Revelation 3:20). Are you ‘looking for a better country – a heavenly one’ (Hebrews 11:16)? ‘God has put eternity into man’s mind’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In every human heart, there’s ‘a God-shaped blank’. Jesus came to give us ‘life’ – ‘abundant life’, ‘eternal life’ (John 10:10; John 17:3; 1 John …

Let it be to me according to Your Word.

‘Let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). When we ‘walk in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), God sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). Let us ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). May the Spirit's ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). This is the way of fruitfulness.

Does anything really last forever?

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the …

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). When I was a young boy, being taught the meaning of words, our schoolteacher asked us the question, "What is the opposite of ... ?", e.g. What's the opposite of clean and right? - Dirty and wrong. Make …

We read about the great days.

We read about the great days. We wonder, "Is there anything else?" Is there something more? Do we have a future? Don't think of these great days as "long, long ago, when life was very different." Have we outgrown the need to listen to Peter,s earnest appeal: "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation" (Acts 2:40)? …

The love of Christ: reaching out to us, and reaching out, through us, to other people

Christ died "not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). This is something which we, in the church, must never forget. When we are tempted to shut out 'the big, bad world', we must remember - Christ died "not for our sins only but also for …

The love of God

"This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). As I read these words, my thoughts went to the words of John 3:16 - "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only …

The blessings that we receive from the Lord

"This is what he promised us - eternal life" (1 John 2:25). What a wonderful promise the Lord Jesus has given to us. He says to us, "I go to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to be with me so that where I am, there you may be …

Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross.

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). We read these words, and our thoughts move forward to the words of 1 John 1:7 - "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin." How wonderful this is! Hallelujah!  What a Saviour! Here's a song which, I hope, will …

The light of love

"The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1). The Lord shines his light upon us. He leads us out of darkness and into his light. He helps us to see our life in his light - the light of his love, the …

In the power of the Holy Spirit

We look at Jesus' birth. We look at His baptism. We see the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes upon Mary, and Jesus is conceived. The Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus, and His public ministry is set in motion. After Jesus' birth, Satan tries to destroy the work of God. Herod tries to do away …

Living as a new creation

How are we live as a “new creation” (Galatians 6:15)? Paul speaks to us about “faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6). What does it mean to have faith? How are we to live a life that is inspired, controlled, motivated and directed by love? Paul speaks about the beginning of the life of faith: …

From strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory

"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1). By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are led from strength to strengh, from faith to faith, and from glory to glory. (1) From strength to strength The phrase, "from strength to strength" is taken from the hymn, "Soldiers of …

Purify my heart.

"Purify my heart, cleanse me from within and make me holy" (Songs of Fellowship, 475). When we pray this kind of prayer, what are we expecting to happen to us? Are we looking for sinless perfection? If we're expecting sinless perfection, we're in for a big shock? "Purify my heart ... " - this is …

When you are deeply aware of your sinfulness, remember – God loves you.

1 John  3:19-4:21 - ‘God is greater than our hearts’. When you are deeply aware of your sinfulness, remember - God loves you. God’s Word is brutally honest - about us: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?’ God’s Word is wonderfully encouraging - about His love for …

A better way of life – life in Christ

"God so loved the world (the people of the world)" (John 3:16); "Do not love the world (the ways of the world)" (1 John 2:15). "God so loved the world" - These words are a call to mission. We are to show the people of the world how much God loves them. We're to be …

We will be led in the pathway of victory, as we learn to follow Jesus.

"The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Do not underestimate Satan - he has great power, but make sure that you never overestimate him. Christ is greater than Satan - and Christ in us! We should respect the power of Satan - he …

There’s something more than human love.

"Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105). Without the Word of the Lord, we stumble along in the darkness. We stumble, and we fall. When we stop listening to what the Word of God says to us, the darker things become. It's not easy to keep on …

When we feel like the light’s been switched off

Our light can go out. Jesus' light never goes out. This is something we must never forget. It's not about our light. It's about His light. Our feelings tell us one thing. Jesus tells us something else. Who are we to believe: our feelings or Jesus, our Saviour? We know what our answer should be, …

God’s love for us, our love for him and our love for one another

"We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19) .  Before there is our love for God, there is his love for us. Before there is our love for another, there is God's love for each one of us. God's love, always, comes first. This is something we should never forget. When we become …

Let’s share the Good News.

1 JOHN  1:1-2:17 - ‘Jesus Christ’ died ‘for our sins’. This is Good News. It is not to be kept to ourselves - He died ‘for the sins of the whole world’. We have ‘fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ’. ‘We have fellowship with one another’. These blessings are not to …

Life is going well.

Life is going well, but we wonder, "Will it all be taken away from me?" We worry about many things, but we need not despair. Jesus is with us. He gives us hope. He assures us that His perfect love casts out our fear (1 John 4:18).

The Name of the Lord and the Word of the Lord becomes precious to us, the love of the Lord becomes real to us, the strength of the Lord is given to us, and the enemy is firmly resisted.

Daniel 11:2-35; 1 John 4:7-21; Psalm 138:1-8 Daniel 11 is concerned with conflict. This is part of our spiritual experience as well as Israel's military experience. There is an enemy who opposes the Lord and His people. Nevertheless, "the people who know their God will firmly resist him" (Daniel 11:32). How are we able to resist …

From a self-centred life to a God-centred life

They said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth’ (Genesis 11:4). Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!  Take words with you and …

Loving him who first loved me

How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God (Psalm 84:1-2). Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you (Psalm 84:4). We love the house of the Lord, the place where we …

Jesus is Lord, not Satan.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear (Psalm 46:1-2). Fear is the enemy of love. Fear is the enemy of peace. Fear is the enemy of joy. Fear is the enemy of faith. Fear is the enemy of hope. Where does fear come from? It comes from Satan. Who …

No more darkness

 "The darkness is passing and the true light is already shining" (1 John 2:8). Often, it seems to us like we are surrounded by darkness. We wonder, "Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?" When we feel like this, we need the eternal perspective, the vision of God's glory - "The city …

The serpent, Adam and Eve, and us!

In Genesis 3:1-7, we read abot the evil influence of "the serpent" (Satan - Revelation 12:9). Here, we must note the difference between temptation and sin. Satan tempted Adam and Eve. They sinned. They couldn't blame Satan for their sin. Temptation only became sin when they gave into temptation. It's the same with us. We …

Words of love, hope and truth

"And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the …

Words from far away and long ago … or more than that?

"The Lord is my light and my salvation ... The Lord is the strength of my life" (Psalm 27:1). We read these words from a faraway place and a long time ago, and we wonder, "Are these words for us? Are they for today's world? or Should they be left in the past?" Does God's Word give …

Let Your Love Flow.

"God is love" (1 John 4:8). God loves us, because He is love. His love for us has nothing to do with what we are. It has everything to do with who he is. He is love. May his love - perfect love, the greatest love, the best love,  flow out to us from his …

The Encouragement Of God’s Word

How do we react when things don’t seem to be going very well? We all need the encouragement of God’s Word: ‘Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph’ (2 Corinthians 2:14).