1John 4: 7-21
verses 19-20: We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
The very emotion of “love” is such a gift. Without it, there would be nothing holding us together. We might have survived as a species with some other emotion keeping us together, but it is hard to imagine. Love itself was created by God. We are here because of God’s love, and we love each other because of God’s love for us. It is hypocritical for me to accept God’s love and all of his gifts and then withhold that love from others.
Lord, Today I am reminded to live in your love and to be generous with it. No one should be left out. Amen
Becky, transforming
1 John 4: 7-21
As a young girl I lived with the fear that God was angry with me, it wasn’t until I received his love by faith that I was freed from that fear. John saids God is love not love is God. Our world with its shallow and selfish view of love has turned these words around so we do not understand the meaning of the word. Let’s see if I get this right, Love explained is why God creates, because he loves, he creates people to love. Why God cares, because he loves us, he even cares for sinful people. Why are we free to choose because God wants a loving response from us. Why Christ die…
1 John 4:9-10 - “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
This is what comes to my mind when John speaks of “perfect love” later in this passage. The measure of our love of God is in our love for others who are difficult to love. God did not send Jesus to the world as a thank you gift, but as a love offering. It is the model around which to build a godly life.
Prayer -…