Love – Page 3 – The Arnold Journey

Essential Outcome

1 John 4:7-8 One essential ingredient of the Jesus-follower’s life is love. We have enough hatred in the world to meet everyone’s need for that. The news is filled with stories of hatred. And the stories of love are usually ones that trivialize it, like a lost puppy being rescued or a sex changeContinue reading “Essential Outcome”

Believe and Love

1 John 3:23 Sometimes we complicate life in ways that aren’t necessary. We add layers where no layers are needed. We put in details when the original was perfect. And then we wonder why we live under such stress. Think about the average American family with kids. The parent packs the kid’s scheduleContinue reading “Believe and Love”

Laying Down Your Life

1 John 3:16-18 Every now and then we read about a story of someone laying down their life to save another person. They jump in the cold water to rescue someone, but they don’t make it out alive themselves. Or they intervene in a fight and they end up getting shot stopping it. OrContinue reading “Laying Down Your Life”

Momentary or Lasting Hate

1 John 3:15 Hate is a serious thing. It leads to all sorts of awful outcomes if it is allowed to fester and if it is given power to act. When hatred is fanned into flame it can destroy nations. Hatred can be fanned for generations and become part of a culture. The “OneContinue reading “Momentary or Lasting Hate”

This Ain’t No Joke

1 John 3:14 What we believe determines what we do. And we can find out what people really believe by watching their life over time. We all have gaps between what we state we believe and the way we live our lives. Most of us can overlook small lapses in behavior if there isContinue reading “This Ain’t No Joke”

Christian Haters

1 John 3:13 One of the advantages of being a Jesus-follower is that people will hate us for no other reason other than our trust in Jesus. Now you might not see this as an advantage, but it is. It helps us identify those who need the Gospel message lived out before them. TheyContinue reading “Christian Haters”

The Power of Love

1 John 3:11-12 We often feel that hatred is more powerful than love. Hatred shows up in the headlines. Hatred makes for better stories, feeding our fears and anxieties. When stories of love are told, we are led to believe that love is so extraordinary that mere mortals like ourselves could never be thatContinue reading “The Power of Love”

Love and Hate

1 John 2:9-11 Sometimes we need very practical examples of a concept in action. When we get the practical example, then we can understand the abstract concept more fully. I think this is what makes learning Algebra so difficult. It can be very hard to find practical examples from everyday life that help explainContinue reading “Love and Hate”

Plain Speak

1 John 1:6 There are times when you just have to tell the truth, no matter who gets hurt in the process. We sometimes talk about the elephant in the room as a way to express this need to talk about the uncomfortable truth that almost everyone seems to know, but no one seemsContinue reading “Plain Speak”

Something Added

Mark 12:32-33 You have to be careful when people start putting words in your mouth. People can end up believing that you said all sorts of things you didn’t say. And this happens all the time with public or political figures. Part of what they said gets pulled from its context and then reconstructedContinue reading “Something Added”