Today’s passage: 2 John 1:7–9 Focus verse: Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. (2 John 1:8) John moves from his encouragement to walk in love to a warning about being on alert for deceivers, whom he calls antichrists (see Day 10). These deceivers share […]
Today’s passage: 2 John 1:5–6 Focus verse: As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2 John 1:6) In John’s second letter, he continues to repeat themes from his first one. He tells the lady chosen by God the same things he writes to his first audience. This is not […]
Today’s passage: 2 John 1:4 Focus verse: It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth. (2 John 1:4) Truth is a recurring theme in John’s writing. He addresses it in twenty-three verses in his biography of Jesus, the gospel of John. The word appears more there than in any […]
Today’s passage: 2 John 1:1–3 Focus verse: 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 1:3) John opens his letter calling himself simply “the elder.” Though he could have used more prestigious labels, such as “one of Jesus’s twelve disciples” […]
John writes a letter to the elect, the chosen lady, along with her kids. Some people assume John uses this intimate metaphor to refer to the church (the chosen lady) and its members (her children). But this interpretation falls apart because the New Testament considers the people as the church, not as two separate parts. […]
Today’s passage: 1 John 5:21 Focus verse: Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21) After John writes a fitting conclusion to his letter in 1 John 5:18–20, he tacks on one more verse. He simply tells his audience to keep themselves from idols. I imagine John finishing his letter and then reading it. He gets to […]
Today’s passage: 1 John 5:18–20 Focus verse: He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20) Today’s trio of verses each begins with the same phrasing: We know that. What follows them are seven concepts John wants to remind his audience about. He has covered them throughout his letter and reinforces these key points now. […]
Today’s passage: 1 John 5:16–17 Focus verse: There is a sin that leads to death. (1 John 5:16) Today’s passage teaches us some unusual things about prayer. First, John encourages us to pray for others when we notice sin in their lives. This isn’t all people, but our brothers and sisters in Jesus. Then God will give […]
Today’s passage: 1 John 5:13–15 Focus verse: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14) When we pray, do we think God hears us? Does he answer our prayers? All of them? The Bible says so. Consider what Scripture teaches. First, we can have assurance that God does indeed hear our […]
Today’s passage: 1 John 5:6–12 Focus verse: For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (1 John 5:7–8) The Old Testament gives a rule that to convict someone requires two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). The testimony of one person is not enough. Two people must […]