Reading: 1 John 3:16–18 So often in the history of God’s people, we have shifted the focus from God’s grand redemption to our own petty kingdoms of self. It happened when Abram fearfully took Hagar (Genesis 16). It happened in …
Reading: 1 John 3:11–15 As the end of the year approaches, we naturally go through a season of evaluation and assessment. What are we grateful for in this year that is coming to a close? What do we wish had …
Reading: 1 John 3:4-10 We all dislike bullies. Sin is the bully that continues to terrorize people in all places at all times. It is a harsh slave master that wields a death-like grip on all its subjects. John tells …
Reading: 1 John 2:28–3:3 Do you ever feel stuck in your Christian walk? Perhaps the Lord has brought to mind unfair words of criticism you have uttered whether behind someone’s back or to their face. Perhaps the fight for purity …
Reading: 1 John 2:24–27 The incarnation changes everything. It is not truly the beginning of the execution of God’s plan of redemption (he doesn’t wait long to get it started in Genesis 3), but it is a beginning. With the …
Reading: 1 John 2:18–23 Not many of us can easily associate the idea of Christmas with a theological battle. Yet the early history of the doctrine of the incarnation was beleaguered by those who sought to bring this glorious reality …
Reading: 1 John 2:15–17 Christmas season in our city’s malls presents some intriguing contrasts to my mind. On one hand, we have a sense that the commercialisation and materialism represented by the gaudy decorations and overstated advertising are both unhealthy …
Reading: 1 John 2:12–14 Frantic—if there’s one word that often characterises the approach to the December holidays, frantic is it. End-of-year projects, deadlines, exams, packed matatus, intense traffic, long and expensive travel, relatives with high demands and low tolerance for …
Reading: 1 John 2:3–11 At the centre of today’s reading, John makes a profound statement about the age in which we live: “The darkness is passing, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). Superficially, we might think that …
Reading: 1 John 1:5–2:2 The splendour of angels broke into the deep darkness of the shepherds’ night. A star led magi from the East through Jerusalem and finally to Bethlehem. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming …
