Love is the opposite of hatred. Love is a selfless desire to do good. Hatred is a self-centered desire to do harm. The "Christmas spirit" of love can camouflage the real hatred in our hearts. But Advent reorients us to real love.
1 2 3 John
Advent 2024 Third Sunday: Truth
The trappings of the holidays try to convince us that all is well when in reality it is not. But Advent reminds us that these are but falsehoods. Truth, instead, is embodied in the baby born to Mary of Nazareth in the town of Bethlehem in Judea.
Advent 2024 Second Sunday: Light
Light is the opposite of darkness. Light symbolizes all that is good. Darkness all that is evil. Life can look pretty dark these days so Advent invites us to first acknowledge darkness that we might realize how desperately we need light.
Advent 2024 First Sunday: Life
Our annual remembrance of the coming of Jesus Christ as a human baby starts today. This year the words of the apostle John dominate my ponderings. I will explore words he uses to describe Christ—Today, we start with LIFE.
God’s Truth and Love Are Inseparable
I most commonly hear truth and love treated as binary, opposites, or ends of a spectrum. Pastors speak of our tendency to choose one or the other and exhort us to find balance, to hold them in tension. But I'm not satisfied with this. I'm on a quest for clarity.
Abide in Jesus Because His Spirit Abides in Us
Too often I treat my spiritual life like a charging station. I refuel every morning (or at least as often as possible) through a study of the Bible or a devotional reading. But then I act like I’m an electronic device and I unplug, trusting in my fuel to get me through the day. But the Lord Jesus himself has told me to constantly abide in him.
Be Confident in Prayer: Go Ahead and Ask
The apostle John speaks often about confidence, boldness, assurance. He wants believers to know that they know they are in Christ. But he also exhorts us to know that we can come to God with our requests. Because we know that we believe in Jesus and have eternal life, we can approach God confidently.
Everyone Born of God Overcomes the World
Some days all the shiny stuff around me demands my affection and it's hard to resist. But the apostle John says I, as a believer in Jesus, have overcome this world.
Pondered Treasures 