Loving Him Means Loving Them
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.” 1 John 5:1 (NIV) Loving God was supposed to be the easy part. Loving the people who…
Category Devotionals
Obedience That Doesn’t Exhaust You
“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 (NIV) Obedience is supposed to feel light, but yours feels heavy. You keep pushing through commands like they are one…
The Enemy Stops at the Door
“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” 1 John 5:18 (NIV) Maybe you have been sleeping with one…
The Idol You’d Never Call an Idol
“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21 (NIV) The whole letter ends with one short, strange sentence. After pages of deep theology, John suddenly says only this: guard yourselves from idols. No explanation follows, no long argument builds…
Still Standing in a Falling World
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19 (NIV) You read that verse and it sounds like bad news. The whole world under the…
You Think You Can Do It Yourself
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11 (NIV) You have been taught contentment means needing nothing. Handle it yourself and never let anyone see you…
Nobody Is Born Content
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11 (NIV) Nobody is born content, because contentment has to be learned. We assume some people are simply wired…
Contentment Doesn’t Carry Over
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty…
Strength Shows Up When Yours Runs Out
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (NIV) Contentment was never meant to run on willpower alone. Some of us have been gritting our teeth trying to stay calm anyway. We call it maturity,…
That’s Not the Verse for This
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (NIV) We reach for Philippians 4:13 before every hard moment. It shows up on gym walls, in exam prayers, before big presentations. We say it like fuel:…