There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. I JOHN 4:18 NAS My children are . . . wonderful. And rotten. Sometimes, when I threaten punishment for some infraction or another, they just giggle. Can you believe […]
I John 4:14 – 16a: God’s Reliable Love
I John 4:14-16a “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in Him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” My […]
1 John 4:13: The Family Crest
I John 4:13 “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” My maiden name is Smith. Try as I may, I have difficulty tracing my family tree past a certain point. There are just too many of us! But the name Brumbaugh is a […]
1 John 4:11 – 12: Like the Wind
I John 4:11-12 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” Do you ever wonder what it would be like to see God? I do. […]
1 John 4:9 – 10: The Life-Giver
I John 4:9-10 “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. This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I love my […]
Love, Sweet Love:1 John 4:7 – 8
I John 4:7-8 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Ouch. This verse gets straight to the point, doesn’t it? If I love, I know God. If […]
1 John 4:4 – 6 False Teachers and the Word of God: Swords and Teddy Bears
I John 4:4-6 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and […]
Masquerade
I John 4:2-3 “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even […]
Test the Spirits
I John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Several times a day, my phone rings, and on the other end of the line is someone wanting my money. Sometimes, the person is […]
Where We Live
I John 3:24 “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” I love being a Texan! I think Texans are some of the greatest people in the world. They are friendly, […]