December 27, 2021
Jan. 2 | Application
If God had no capacity for righteous anger, it would create some difficult dilemmas.
Articles for tag: 1 John 4:1
March 8, 2021
Mar 14 | Application
David Faust writes: Awe is a stepping-stone toward wisdom. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).
February 1, 2021
Love Conquers Racism
How Relationship Changed My Dad’s Hard Heart . . . and What All of Us Can Learn from It The picture still brings tears to the eyes of family members old enough to remember my dad. We had gathered as we often did in the backyard of my sister’s house; it was a special occasion—I can’t remember what—and someone snapped the picture of Dad holding his great-granddaughter. Such a picture wouldn’t ordinarily evoke such strong emotions; after all, I have many pictures of my dad cuddling with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But this picture is different. . . . Memories
October 12, 2020
Don’t Get Sloppy (Oct. 18 Lesson Application)
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Oct. 18, 2020: How To (2 Timothy 2:14-26; 3:1-9) ________ By David Faust An NFL Hall of Fame player passed along a tip he learned from a coach: “Always arrive a few minutes early for practice.” Punctuality itself wasn’t the main point. The coach advised, “Be disciplined off the field, and you will perform better on the field.” Why do soldiers in boot camp make their beds every morning? Why do parents ask their children to brush their teeth twice a day? Why does the book of Proverbs advise us to
July 7, 2020
Application for July 12: Make the Most of Your Co-Opportunities
By David Faust Last year I visited the island of Patmos. This cluster of rocky hills off the Turkish coast marks the spot where John “was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). In the first century, government officials sent political offenders to remote locations like Patmos to keep them from influencing others. Exile was basically a prison without bars. According to the historian Eusebius, John was in exile for 18 months. While on that lonely island, John received the inspired messages recorded in the last book of the
May 10, 2020
Application for May 17: The Natural Response to Being Loved
(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 17, 2020: “His Beloved Ones.”) By David Faust What would you say if someone asked, “Is it difficult to be a Christian?” Might your answer be both yes and no? On the one hand, Christ already did the hardest part. He accomplished what we could never do for ourselves. He lived a perfect life and suffered for our transgressions on the cross. We sinners could never measure up to all the righteous standards of God, but his love overflows and his grace is sufficient in spite of our imperfections. “The
March 24, 2017
Amazing Love!
By Becky Ahlberg One of the universal truths we consider when we gather around the Communion table each week is to remember the amazing love of God. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin” (1 John 4:10). God incarnate showed his love in his willingness to bear the shame, endure the cross, and be the bridge that brings us back into relationship with him. All these things are illustrations of his indescribable love. One of the first Scriptures most of us memorized is
April 13, 2015
Lesson for April 19, 2015: Trust in God’s Love (1 John 4, 5)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the April 12 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone It is easy to understand why John has often been referred to as “the apostle of love.” That theme runs throughout the letters that he wrote to the first-century church. Today”s text is the third time in this epistle when John described love as the supreme test of the Christian life (1 John 2:7-11; 3:11-18). In 1 John 4 he emphasized
