Morning Coffee With Renae

I John 5:21 “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”
When I was a teenager, I begged my parents for a Gucci purse. A real one. Some of my friends had them, and I wanted one. I remember shopping with my mom, and spying what looked to me like a wonderful imitation, at a much lower price! [...]

I John 5:20 “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
One of my favorite movies is [...]

I John 5:19 “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
My family lives near an army base. I have, on occasion, visited that army base. While there, I’ve seen soldiers salute their ranking officers, and I’ve seen them scamper to do the [...]

I John 5:18 “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”
Boy. At first glance, this verse could really make me doubt my status as God’s child. I know I mess up. Often. But John [...]

I John 5:16-17 “If anyone sees a brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. [...]

I John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Wow. This sounds like God is issuing a blank [...]

I John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Have you ever doubted your salvation? Sometimes, when we really mess up, we start to question whether or not our relationship with God is real. Sometimes, when [...]

I John 5:11-12 “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
When I was young, I was a member of a certain club. We had a [...]

I John 5:3-5 “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of [...]

I John 5:1-2 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.”
Do you ever wonder how you can know if you [...]