Author: Norm

SCRIPTURE: Joshua 15:1-63 OBSERVATION: My first thought when I read this is… BORING. Extended list of names of places I never heard of. Most people probably skip over this (some people are bothered that I assigned 63 verses of this stuff for 1 daily reading. So, is there a point? One thought that comes to mind,…

SCRIPTURE: Joshua 14:1-15 OBSERVATION: This section is about receiving the inheritance, the land (space, roots) promised by God. In the context for Israel, it was a dream come true, after Abraham left his home to look for a land, a place to call home. But this local story belongs to the ultimate story of humanity not…

Feel free to leave your comments. My comments are coming soon! SCRIPTURE: 1 John 5:13-21 OBSERVATION: APPLICATION: PRAYER:

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 5:1-12 OBSERVATION: Somehow, Jesus (the Son of God) is the key, to everything. To life, to love, to God, to hope. Apart from the Son of God, there is no life, no love, no God, no hope. I have come to a place where I believe this. My understanding of God and creation reality…

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:7-21 OBSERVATION: John is very clear that the primary distinctive that sets Christ-followers apart from others is their radical, self-denying love. Faith in Jesus + indwelling Spirit = radical love for God and others. No love, no faith in Jesus. Is this how the church has defined love? Have we found alternatives to set…

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:1-6 OBSERVATION: How do we discern truth from error? John says to look at how the message sees Jesus. If it denies Jesus as the incarnation of divinity in human flesh, then the message is rooted in another spirit. It may contain wisdom and half-truth, but at its core it is misleading. John calls…

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 3:11-24 OBSERVATION: The key to healthy, holy living is LOVE. Not mushy, sentimental niceness, but selfless, sacrificial concern for the good of others. Love sees people as children of God in need of His love, mercy, kindness, assistance. And love sees ourselves as God’s agents to share these things with them. Our actions and…

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 3:4-10 OBSERVATION: John has affirmed the amazing news that God views us as His children, and that He is transforming us to be like Jesus: pure, holy, loving, good, etc. Based on this, he challenges the moral apathy evident among Christ-followers then (and now), since afterall, we are forgiven, saved, not saved by works,…

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 2:28-3:3 OBSERVATION: John is urging us to hang on, to persevere in faith and following Jesus, becoming like Him. Those who claim to follow Jesus will strive to be like Him, and one day will like He is. This goal is what drives us to imitate Jesus now, today, in the daily details of…