1 John - Depths of Love

Listening to the Spirit (1 John 4:1-6)
Loving the Saints (1 John 4:7-5:3)

1 John - Deeds of the Devil

Righteous Living (1 John 2:28-3:10)
Really Loving (1 John 3:10-24)

1 John - Delusion of the World

John's address:
To the Entire group - forgiveness of sin (1 John 2:12)
To the Experienced group - familiarity with Christ (1 John 2:13, 14)
To the Energetic group - fondness of the world (1 John 2:13, 14-17)
To the Enthusiastic group - faltering from the truth (1 John 2:13, 18-27)

1 John - Deception of Darkness

Witnessing about the Life (1 John 1:1-4)
Walking in the Light (1 John 1:5-2:2)
Walking by the Law (1 John 2:3-8)
Working out of Love (1 John 2:9-11)

Outline of 1 John

Deception of Darkness (1 John 1:1-2:11)
Delusion of the World (1 John 2:12-2:29)
Deeds of the Devil (1 John 3:1-4:6)
Depths of Love (1 John 4:7-5:3)
Declaration of the Witness (1 John 5:4-5:21)

I said to the man that stood at the gate of the year, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he said to me, "Go forth into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God; And it shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way."

Minnie Louise Haskins

Start Over

When you've trusted Jesus and walked His way,
When you've felt His hand lead you day by day,
But your steps now take you another way,
Start over.

When you've made your plans and they've gone awry,
When you've tried your best 'till there's no more try,
When you've failed yourself and you don't know why,
Start over.

When you think you're finished and want to quit,
When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit,
When you've tried and tried to get out of it,
Start over.

When the year's been long and success few,
When December comes and you're feeling blue,
God gives a January just so you
Start over.

Starting over means victories won,
Starting over means a race well run,
Starting over means the Lord's "well done"
So don't just sit there,
Start over.

Woodrow Kroll

When God wants to drill a man
and thrill a man and skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
to play the noblest part;
When he yearns with all his heart
to create so bold a man
that all the world will be amazed,
Watch his methods, watch his ways:

How he relentlessly perfects
whom he royally elects;
How he hammers us and hurts us
and with mighty blows converts us
into trial shapes of clay
which only God can understand,
While our tortured heart is crying
and we lift beseeching hands.

How God bends, but never breaks
when his good he undertakes;
How he uses whom he chooses
and with every purpose fuses us;
By every act induces us
to try his splendor out —
God knows what he's about!

Author unknown

Oh! I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved's mine!
He brings a poor vile sinner into His house of wine!
I stand upon His merit; I know no other stand,
Not e'en where glory dwelleth, in Immanuel's land.

The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear Bride-groom's face;
I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace -
Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hand:
The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land.

Anne Ross Cousin

If I gained the world, but lost the Saviour,
Were my life worth living for a day?
Could my yearning heart find rest and comfort
In the things that soon must pass away?

If I gained the world, but had no Saviour,
Would my gain be worth the life-long strife?
Are all earthly pleasures worth comparing,
For a moment with a Christ-filled life?

Anna Olander

I hear the accuser roar of ills that I have done;
I know them well, and thousands more Jehovah findeth none.
Though the restless foe accuses - sins recounting like a flood;
Every charge our God refuses; Christ has answered with His blood.

Author unknown

Gems from my reading

Every circumstance in Genesis 18 speaks of a righteous man's open communion with God. The Lord and the two angels drew near Abraham in human form. They readily accepted Abraham's service, speech, and friendship. In the realm of divine fellowship, Genesis 18 is in striking contrast to God's disposition towards Lot in Genesis 19. In chapter 19, God does not personally visit carnal Lot, nor do the angels appear as men any longer, but as "angels." Even the angels are standoffish and initially refuse Lot's company and provisions. God is not mocked - our carnality necessitates distance and reduced familiarity with Him.

Warren Henderson in Seeds of Destiny (A Genesis Devotional)

Do you ever feel down hearted or discouraged?
Do you ever think your work is all in vain?
Do the burdens thrust upon you make you cheerless,
And you fear that you shall never the victory gain?

Have faith in God, the sun will shine,
Though dark the cloud may be today,
His heart hath planned your path and mine:
Have faith in God, have faith alway.

May Agnew Stephens