Living in Light, Love, and Truth: Faith in King Jesus

Text: 1 John 5:1–12

We live in a world full of noise—voices telling us what to value, whom to fear, and how to live. And in the middle of all that cultural confusion, John reminds us of something essential: the confidence we need to love each other and to overcome the world comes from knowing Jesus is King.

A Voice You Can Trust

In March of 2022, CBS News told the story of Jacob Smith, a 15-year-old freeride skier who is legally blind. Jacob has extreme tunnel vision, no depth perception, and everything he does see is a blur. His visual acuity is 20/800—meaning he would need the big “E” from the eye chart blown up four times its size to see it from twenty feet away.

So how does a teenager who can barely see ski down steep, dangerous mountain faces?

He listens to a voice he trusts.

On competition days, Jacob’s little brother guides him to peaks so high the lifts won’t take you there. His father waits at the bottom, takes a deep breath, and begins talking Jacob down the mountain. Jacob keeps a radio turned up loud in his pocket, and as he starts downhill he does exactly what his father says. “Turn right. Slow down. Big drop coming. Stay left.”

When asked how much he trusts his dad, Jacob smiled and said, “Enough to turn right when he tells me to.”

Confidence comes from knowing the authority you’re responding to. When you trust the one giving the command, obedience isn’t burdensome—it becomes natural. Fear loses its power.

That’s the tone John sets in 1 John 5. His churches have been overwhelmed by competing voices, false teachings, and spiritual confusion. So he brings them back to the one truth that changes everything:

You know who your King is.

Jesus is not one more voice among many. He is the true King of the cosmos—our source of life, confidence, and victory.

A Church Formed by Love

The  Church John envisioned is: a people who remain in the truth and walk in love. Discipleship isn’t complicated. We receive God’s love, which empowers us to love God and love people, and then others experience God’s love through us. That’s how disciples are made. That’s how we bear witness to the reign of King Jesus.

The apostle John wrote his first letter to faith communities under his care that had been under attack and divided by false teaching. This teaching downplayed Jesus and sin while focusing on spiritual power and enlightenment. John wanted to remind them of Jesus’s true identity as the unique Divine Son of God, the King of the World, and that our job is to love God and to love people.

John has just finished teaching about love—that the true definition of love is not what the false teachers say it is, but God, specifically seen in the sacrifice of Jesus. God’s type of love is sacrificial. It is giving what we have so the other person can be blessed. Along with love we need faith. What does this faith look like?

The Faith We Need

1. Faith in Jesus Produces Obedience and Love (vv. 1–3)

John begins with a simple assumption: faith comes first. Believing that Jesus is the Christ—the King of the cosmos—is more than mental agreement. It requires loyalty. Faith makes us God’s children, giving us a new identity and new expectations.

And what does this new family do?

We love.

For John, love for God and love for God’s children are inseparable. Love is not merely a feeling or warm sentiment—it is action. We love God by keeping His commandments: forgiving, showing mercy, serving, helping, and seeing others with honor. These aren’t burdensome tasks. They are the natural way of life in God’s kingdom, empowered by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23).

To love well, we must (1) declare our faith in Jesus, (2) choose to love His people, and (3) ask God to empower us.

2. Faith in the King Overcomes the World (vv. 4–5)

John reminds us that every child of God “defeats this evil world.” Our victory does not come from withdrawing or fighting harder—it comes from being made new. New birth gives us a new identity and a new allegiance.

Faith is the means of victory. Left to ourselves, we fall prey to deception, fear, and the false promises of the age. But loyalty to King Jesus anchors us in truth. There is no alternative path to life. The world doesn’t need our cleverness; it needs rescue. And God has provided that rescue in Jesus.

3. God Himself Testifies That Life Is in His Son (vv. 6–12)

John draws our attention to God’s testimony about His Son. The “water and blood” point to Jesus’ baptism and His sacrificial death—bookends to His earthly ministry. The Spirit affirms this testimony: in Scripture, in the apostles’ teaching, and in the inner witness of God’s people.

Rejecting Jesus is not merely a disagreement; it is calling God a liar. But receiving the testimony leads to life—true life, the life of God Himself, present within us now through the Spirit.

John makes the point unmistakable:

If you have the Son, you have life.

If you do not have the Son, you do not have life.

Living in the Confidence of King Jesus

What is the Point?

John gives us clarity about faith:

• Faith leads to love and obedience. We can love in small ways because we’re made in God’s image, but to love consistently, sacrificially, and joyfully requires surrender to Jesus.
• Faith leads to victory over the world. Our allegiance to King Jesus defines our identity. His victory becomes our victory.
• Faith rests on God’s testimony. The Scriptures, the work of the Spirit, the history of the Church, and transformed lives all come together to assure us that Jesus is the true King.

Big Idea: The confidence we need to love each other and to overcome the world comes from knowing Jesus is King.

Living out God’s love is challenging. What if we get hurt? What if people take advantage of us? What if nothing seems to change?

Our courage does not come from outcomes—it comes from the truth that Jesus has already won. His life, death, resurrection, and ascension declare that the world’s power is broken. So we live like people who belong to a victorious King.

A Challenge 

In your prayers this week, ask God to empower you to love. Love is how we are known as God’s people. And we desperately need His help to love well.

Final Thought

Because Jesus is the King who has already overcome the world, we don’t love out of fear—we love out of confidence. Every act of forgiveness, every step of obedience, every moment we choose love over resentment declares to the world:

My King has already won.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Christianity and Culture: Are We Seeing Clearly?

In a podcast many years ago, historian Tom Woods made an interesting observation. He said something like this: “We often talk about how Christianity has shaped America, but we should also consider how America has shaped Christianity.”

That idea has stuck with me. It raises a challenging question: Could it be that we often fail to hear Jesus clearly because we filter His words through the lens of our own culture?

We are all shaped by the time and place we live in. Culture shapes what feels natural, what seems right, and what we consider normal. This is not always bad—culture gives us traditions, community, and stability. But culture can also blind us. It can lead us to accept certain practices and attitudes without ever questioning if they truly align with God’s will.

A Biblical Example of Cultural Compromise

Genesis 16 gives us a powerful example of this reality. In that passage, Sarah convinces Abraham to father a child by using her servant Hagar. In their culture, this was a perfectly acceptable practice to secure an heir. It was a solution that fit the customs of their world.

While it was an acceptable practice, it was not the way of faith. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but instead of waiting for God to fulfill His word, they settled for a culturally approved shortcut.

From our perspective in 21st century United States, it is easy to look back and see their error. But in their moment, Abraham and Sarah were doing something that made sense to them. They weren’t trying to rebel against God; they were trying to solve a problem within the framework their culture gave them.

How often do we do the same?

The Subtle Power of Culture

The danger of cultural compromise is that it rarely feels like compromise. It feels natural. It feels responsible. It feels like common sense. That’s why it is so easy for us to use cultural assumptions in our interpretations of biblical truth.

For Christians living in the United States, this challenge is especially subtle. American values—like individualism, consumerism, and the pursuit of success—are so deeply ingrained in us that we may not realize when they conflict with the way of Jesus.

For example:

• Do we measure a church’s faithfulness by its size and influence (an American metric), or by its obedience to Jesus’ commands (a kingdom metric)?
• Do we prioritize personal freedom over self-giving love, even though Jesus taught that true freedom is found in serving others?
• Do we accept violence, power, and dominance as necessary evils, forgetting that Jesus called us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us?

None of these cultural values are neutral. They shape the way we hear Scripture, the way we structure our churches, and the way we live our faith.

Following Jesus, Not an Americanized Christianity

The task before us, then, is to make sure we are truly following Jesus—not just an Americanized version of Christianity that baptizes our cultural assumptions with our cherry picked Bible passages. That requires humility. It requires discernment. And it requires a willingness to question the things we have been taught as “biblical” but may not actually come from Scripture.

Abraham and Sarah remind us how easy it is to be led by what feels normal instead of what God has promised. The same danger confronts us today. Will we trust Jesus enough to follow His way, even when it goes against the flow of our culture?

A Call to Self-Examination

Perhaps one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can practice is self-examination in light of Scripture. We need to ask:

• Am I believing this because it is biblical, or because it is cultural? 
• Does my discipleship reflect the values of the kingdom of God or the values of America? 
• Where might I be settling for what feels natural rather than waiting on the promises of God?

These are not easy questions. But they are necessary if we want to live faithfully as disciples of King Jesus.

The good news is that God is patient with us, just as He was patient with Abraham and Sarah. He invites us to step out of cultural conformity and into the radical life of faith, trusting that His way is better than anything our world has to offer.

Reflection

Take a moment to sit with this question: How has my faith been shaped more by culture than by Christ?

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal blind spots where cultural assumptions have crowded out biblical truth. Then pray for the courage to follow Jesus even when it feels strange, unpopular, or countercultural.

“Lord Jesus, help me to see where I have settled for a comfortable, cultural version of faith instead of the radical way of Your kingdom. Give me eyes to see clearly, ears to hear Your voice, and a heart willing to obey—even when it goes against what feels normal. Teach me to live as Your disciple first and foremost. Amen.”

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

7 Habits That Help Me Beat the Winter Blues

As the days get shorter and the sun seems to disappear behind gray skies, I can feel my energy dip. The winter months often bring what’s called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — a mix of low mood, fatigue, and sluggishness that hits when sunlight is scarce.

For many years, the months of November through February have been a dark time for me. That’s why I’ve become intentional about developing practices that help me live with more hope and joy, even in these shadowed months.

This year, as I’ve focused on managing my depression (it still comes and goes), I’ve discovered a few habits that have made a real difference in keeping my mind and heart steady through life’s ups and downs. Some are backed by science; others simply work for me. As we head into winter, here are seven habits that help me stay grounded and joyful.

5 Habits to Consider

1. Getting at Least 10,000 Steps a Day

When it’s cold and dark, it’s easy to stay inside — but moving my body makes a huge difference. Research shows that regular walking boosts mood, lowers stress, and helps regulate sleep. Research also shows these benefits start showing up with 4,000 steps. It is more about getting our bodies moving than the actual number of steps.

The decisions to get Teddy, our family dog, has really benefited me because he gives me a reason to get outside and walk, even on the coldest days. But if the weather’s too harsh, a walk on the treadmill or a few laps around the block still carries the same benefits.

2. Taking a Daily Pause for Prayer and Mindfulness

I use the One Minute Pause App to stop, breathe, and reconnect with God. Those short pauses reorient my spirit and help me reset when the day feels heavy.

Science shows that even a few minutes of mindful prayer can lower anxiety and restore focus — and I’ve definitely experienced that. I’ve also used the guided prayers on the YouVersion Bible App. Whatever tool you use, the goal is to slow down and become aware of God’s presence again.

3. Listening to Music Instead of Podcasts

Music has a way of reaching the soul that words alone can’t.

We live in a time of information overload, constantly drawn to all the great content available at our fingertips. I realized I was drowning in that information, and my mind was becoming overwhelmed. When I unintentionally began listening to more music and fewer podcasts, I found that my heart began to rest again — and my thoughts turned more easily toward God. 

I’ve also found that the type of music matters. This summer, after noticing how much music was helping me, I decided to listen to some 80s tunes — but instead of lifting my mood, they made me feel melancholy. Now I still sneak a few of those songs into my rotation, but most of what I listen to is worship, classical, and Irish/Celtic music. As part of my daily rhythm, I take a Pause and then sing along with three worship songs. That simple practice helps my focus return to God and His kingdom.

Studies show that music reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) and activates parts of the brain connected to joy — a simple but powerful way to fight the grayness of winter.

4. Focusing on Protein (150–200 Grams a Day)

Good nutrition affects more than just energy — it impacts mental health, too. Getting enough protein supports neurotransmitters that regulate mood and motivation.

When I hit my protein goals, I stay more alert and less prone to the afternoon crash. And since I feel fuller throughout the day, I’m far less likely to snack mindlessly or binge eat at night.

Along with prioritizing protein, I’ve started adding creatine to my morning shake. While I don’t have hard evidence from my own experience, research suggests that creatine can support mental clarity and focus by helping the brain produce energy more efficiently. Studies have shown small but measurable improvements in memory and attention with regular supplementation. So while my results are anecdotal, the science seems to back up what I’ve noticed.

5. Returning to Pen and Paper for Writing

When I write by hand, I slow down enough to think and pray through what’s going on inside me. I’ve especially rediscovered this during sermon preparation — breaking down a passage and taking notes by hand helps me process truth more deeply.

Research shows that journaling can reduce stress and improve clarity, but for me, it’s more than that — it’s a form of prayer. Writing helps me bring my thoughts before God, which is one of the reasons I started Paul’s Ponderings in the first place.

2 Things I Want to Improve

1. Strength Training

Resistance training builds more than muscle and longevity — it strengthens mood, confidence, and resilience. Studies even link it to lower rates of anxiety and depression. It’s something I want to make more consistent this winter.

2. Getting More Sleep

Short days tempt me to stay up late scrolling or reading, but sleep is essential. Quality rest restores both body and mind and helps regulate the emotions that can so easily drift out of balance in the darker months.

An Act of Stewardship

As the season changes, I’m reminded that caring for our mental health is a form of stewardship — tending to the body and mind God has given us. It’s also a crucial part of discipleship. We cannot grow into maturity as followers of King Jesus if we remain chained by the weight of depression or neglect the care of our whole selves.

Incorporating spiritual disciplines into our daily habits reminds me that the physical, mental, and spiritual all work together to make us who we are.

What helps you stay grounded and joyful during the long winter months?

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.