In The Word
Read: 1 John 4:7-5:3
God Is Love
7 Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.
Overcoming the World
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and follow His commandments.3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Love, love, love. Over and over again this word is used. John spoke of the Agape type of love. This is a perfect love, for love is God and God is perfect. This is a love that is unconditional, not earned but given. It’s a love that acts toward someone before they act toward them. This is the love every child of God has received from Him. It becomes the motivation for everything we do, it drives every decision we make, and it fuels our lives when emotion has run out. It makes us a perfect spouse, parent, child, friend, church member, employee, employer, and evangelist to this lost world. It drives out fear and makes following God completely easy.
People will struggle to serve God until they come to know and believe the love which He has for us…that He loved us before we loved Him and gave His only Son for us. Because Christ gave His life willingly for us, no greater love exists.
If you are looking for love, make sure you are looking in the right place. The kind of love that does not disappoint comes only from God. Quit struggling and put your faith in Christ and know the love of your Father. If you have received that love, then serving God and people is not hard. We are called to love our spouse, our parents, our children, our friends, ourselves, and even our enemies as we love God. Freely have we received this love so freely we should give it. Love, love, love over and over again!