As Christians, we are all at different stages in our Christian life. In his first letter, John addresses Christians in all the stages.

Even the youngest child of God is forgiven on account of Jesus Christ. There is no further qualification than faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. These children are also encouraged to know God as their Father, for this is their right and their joy.

After each referral to the children, the youngest Christians, John then moves to the oldest Christians, those who know the Father and his word. They are those who know the Creator, to one who is from the beginning and are acknowledged for their knowledge.

Finally John refers to those who are young, but strong in the faith. They are reminded not to rely on their own strength, but that their strength is found in Christ through his word, that they might overcome the evil one.

Of course, this only applies to those who have put their faith in Christ and have become children of God.

Joshua bouyed by his success at Jericho thought he could take Ai. However, Achan had gone against God by taking property from Jericho when God has expressly forbidden it. Achan’s actions meant God caused their attack on Ai to fail.

As we live the Christian life, we have hidden sins instead of doing what God requires. We may think we know better than God. What God requires is ultimately for our good though, and so we are not always left alone with those hidden sins. We may be stopped in our tracks, that we might deal with our sin, which can be painful, but nothing compared to the consequences if left unfettered. If life appears to be going smoothly without any trouble, we need to be wary, for none of us are perfect. Even to pray without doing anything about our sin is foolhardy, for we are to pray with the intention of acting on our prayer. We need to examine our hearts and see that we are in step with God’s word. For as we become more and more in step with God’s word, out joy becomes ever more complete.