Day 273: Sunday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

Happy Sunday, Pathway Family! Can you believe we are wrapping up the Living the Loving Truth series? In the past 7 weeks, we have gone through 1-3 John – helping us to better understand God’s truths, the power of the gospel, revealing more of who God is, how we can be walking in the light rather than in the darkness, and so much more. It is really because Christ loved us and offered Himself first as the perfect example, that we too can boldly love and offer our own lives to Him. Would He be glorified and magnified more and more in our life everyday!

My Life is an Offering – Sovereign Grace Music 

Wrapping up the Living the Loving Truth series:

1. What are some key takeaways that you got from 1-3 John? 
2. What are some specific actions you could take to live out the truths found in this book this week? 
3. How would you explain the main points of this book to a friend?

#pathwayodb

Day 272: Saturday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

What do you do when following God means doing something you really don’t want to do? That’s the question Jonah faced thousands of years ago, and it’s a question that many of us face even today. 

Even though Jonah tried to run away, God was still sovereign and had His great purposes. The same is true for each of us! As we read Jonah’s story today, let us ask God to reveal to us what we can learn and apply into our own lives. 

Review 3 John and Read Jonah 1-4

1. Take some time to look into the background and life of Jonah. What do we know about him and what can we learn from his experiences – the good and bad? 
2. What do these passages reveal to us about God? 
3. What truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb

Day 271: Friday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

Throughout the Bible, God has given us many examples to teach us what it means to follow Him. Today, we will be looking into another example He has given us – Paul! 

Review 3 John and Acts 16:16-40

1. Take some time to look into the background and life of Paul. What do we know about him and what can we learn from his example?
2. What do these passages reveal to us about God? 
3. What truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb

Day 270: Thursday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

Imagine this –  a dinner being hosted in honor of Jesus and as he was reclining at the table a woman came over with her alabaster jar, broke it, and poured expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus. According to John 12:5, this was worth an entire year’s wages. In an article by John Piper, it  said that this would have been the equivalent to a perfume that cost $25,000. One website said that this may have been Mary’s dowry, her inheritance, all she had. In a beautiful act of faith and love, Mary gave up everything, literally at the feet of Jesus.

Review 3 John and Read Luke 7:36-50

1. Take some time to look into the background and story of this woman (Mary, Lazarus’ sister-John 11) and her interaction with Jesus. What do we know about her and what can learn from her example? 
2. What does this passage reveal to us about God? 
3. What truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb

Day 269: Wednesday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

To modern ears, King David’s order to Joab, the commander of his army, sounds harmless: “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number” (1 Chronicles 21:2). We’re familiar with censuses; in America, we do one every ten years. So the results of this census are surprising, to say the least: David is humbled to the dust, the angel of the Lord sweeps through Judah with a sword, and seventy thousand men of Israel fall (1 Chronicles 21:14–16).

The story becomes even more striking when we realize that, in the book of Chronicles, this census takes the place of David’s adultery and murder. The author of Chronicles doesn’t mention that sordid episode. Instead, when we come to the part of the story where we would expect to find Bathsheba and Uriah, we find the census. In the chronicler’s mind, David’s counting is a sin to rival his adultery and murder.

But why? What was wrong with David’s command to take a census? The answer to that question exposes not only David’s heart, but many of ours as well. (Hubbard)

Review 3 John and Read 1 Chronicles 21

1. Take some time to look into the life of David. What are some things that stand out to you about his life and faith? How can we learn from him, particularly his mistakes and how he dealt with them? 
2. What does this passage reveal to us about God? 
3. What truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb

Day 268: Tuesday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul says to “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” While we as humans are imperfect, God has given us examples in our life and in the Bible to grow us and point us to the perfect example, Christ! 

For the next few days, we will be identifying some of these people in God’s Word and seeing what we can learn from their example – both the good and bad! 

Read 3 John, Daniel 6 

1. Take some time to look into the life of Daniel. What are some things that stand out to you about his life and faith? How can we learn from or imitate his example? 
2. What does this passage reveal to us about God? 
3. What truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb

Day 267: Monday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

Hooray, we made it to 3 John! In the past 6 weeks, we have been able to dive deeper into 1 John and 2 John. In these two letters, we have seen many common themes such as: the call to not walk in darkness, but to walk in light, the exhortation to love truth and pursue after it, the warning to not be consumed with love for the world, but rather love God and love His people, and so much more! We have seen that all of this is not possible out of our own strength, but only through God’s empowerment and Christ’s perfect example. 

As we continue on to 3 John, we will continue to build upon what we have been learning, getting an even greater glimpse into what the early church was like and how truth and love play out practically especially in our relationships. 

Read 3 John 1:1-15

1. Who are Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius? What do we know about them? Why do you think this letter was included in the Bible? 
2. What does it mean or look like for us to show hospitality in a manner worthy of God (v.6)? If we desire to be first, how will that conflict with our desire to be loving (v.9)? 
3. What other truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb

Day 266: Sunday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

Happy Sunday Pathway family! This past week we looked into the life of Jesus and how He not only demonstrates what love and truth look like in action, but is love and truth Himself. Even when He was mocked and ridiculed for being a “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19), He continued to show truth and love. When it came to the Pharisees, who were filled with greed, hypocrisy, and leading others astray, he rebuked them strongly. However, even then, He still had a tender heart of love for them, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37). Even when it led Him to the cross to sacrifice His life on our behalf, He walked in truth and love. What an incredible example He has set for us – may we also be daily inspired to live and love like He did. Let’s take some time be still, reflect, and worship Him today! 

Never Leave – Red Rocks Worship

Wrapping up 2 John:

1. What are some key takeaways that you got from 2 John? 
2. What are some specific actions you could take to live out the truths found in this book this week? 
3. How would you explain the main points of this book to a friend?

#pathwayodb

Day 265: Saturday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

We see today that even as Jesus was mocked, beaten, and ridiculed by the very people He was trying to save, He still continued to submit to the Father’s will and love them. While naturally, people in His situation might feel bitterness, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

In the same way, there have been many times in which we have or will reject Him or fall short, but Jesus’ sacrifice extends mercy and grace towards us as well, saying “It is finished.” and interceding for us, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In response to His finished work on the cross and demonstration of what agape love, let us also follow in His example, striving to ove Him and others in truth as well! 

Read 2 John 1:1-13, Luke 23 

1. What are some observations you can make about all the people and their interactions with Jesus here? How does Jesus demonstrate to us what truth and love look like in action?
2. Take some time to be still and reflect on the beauty of the gospel. How does the gospel empower you to be able to grow in truth and love? Is there someone that God is challenging you to forgive as He forgave you? 
3. What truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb

Day 264: Friday “Living the Loving Truth – 1-3 John”

Yesterday, we looked at some different interactions that Jesus had and how He demonstrates truth and love. Next, let’s look at how He demonstrated truth and love in a different way – with the Pharisees. At first glance, it may seem that Jesus was pretty tough on the Pharisees! But If the Pharisees were in fact as steeped in spiritual darkness as Jesus claims, then Jesus’ offensive language can be understood as a desperate, love-motivated attempt to shock them into realizing their dire situation, not unlike a parent who screams to get their child’s attention to keep them from danger.

The sick who know they need a physician are much closer to healing than those who imagine they do not (Mark 2:17). While Jesus could interact with those who on some level were aware of their sickness in a warm and healing way – which is why the worst of sinners wanted to fellowship with him (Luke 5:30; 7:34; 15:1) – this approach had no hope of working toward those who were afflicted with the self-righteous delusion that they had no need for this physician. These “hypocrites” had already judged Jesus’ warm interactions with sinners to be a sign of moral weakness and compromise. Had Jesus adopted this approach to them, he would have been dismissed without a hearing. The only hope of possibly waking up these “blind guides” to their desperate spiritual condition was to hold a mirror up to their faces by turning the harsh judgmental language they directed toward others back on themselves. And harsh as it sounds, it was motivated by love. (Boyd)

Read 2 John 1:1-13, Luke 11:37-54

1. What are some observations you can make about Jesus’ interactions here and in earlier passages with the Pharisees? How does Jesus demonstrate to us what truth and love look like in action?
2. Has there been a time in which God revealed truth, corrected, or disciplined you in love? 
3. What truths did you find from today’s reading? How do these truths impact your relationship with God and with others? How is God challenging you to live out this loving truth? 

#pathwayodb