Bible League: Living His Word Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God.— 1 John 4:7 ERV Church tradition tells the story of the Apostle John, feeble and almost completely blind, being carried from church to church to share the profound wisdom and experiences from his time with Jesus. Often, the younger people would clamor to see and speak with John on his visits and it is told when asked what is the most important thing to know as a Christian, John would stress to "love one another" as taught by Jesus (John 13:34). With all the confusion and chaos going on in the world today it is easy for one to be cynical and judgmental toward the world and people. But as messed up as people and the world can be there is one constant: GOD IS LOVE. Love is not God, as some would want you to believe, but rather God is love and we have all been created by God in His image not only to be loved, but also to love others. Much of the problem with the people of the world is that their concept of love is without God; they end up trying to fill their need to be loved and love in all the wrong places. Our passage speaks to the one true love which can only be found in God's love. Beginning in verse 7 of 1 John 4 and going through verse 8, John tells us God is the one true source of love. Just as light and heat flow from the sun as the source, so does true love flow from its source: God. It is a love that provides the believer with strength for the day, rest from the labor, light for the way, and grace in the struggles. The good news is that this love from God has been bestowed toward each of us through Jesus Christ, the full embodiment of God's love. John goes on in 1 John 4 that God is not only the source of true love, but also that God is the true giver of love (verses 9-10). From the gifts of the creation to the precious gift of God's Word, it is God who is the true giver of love. It has been said that where creation is the "art" of God's love to us, His word is the "heart" of God's love to us. It is that heart of love who sent His Son, the Word, who died for us. This is true love. So with God as the source and giver of true love, John goes on in 1 John 4:11-12 to explain that such love of God will be evidenced by our practice of God's love. To know God's love is to share God's love. To share God's love is to practice God's love. To practice God's love is to love one another. Previously in 1 John 3:15, the Apostle shares that hate is impossible with God's people. As with Jesus, there is to be no place in our heart for hate, but only love manifested through repentance, grace, mercy, compassion, caring, and sharing. God's love practiced is real and sincere, not to be done for the glory of men, but for the glory of God. Beloved of God, as we navigate a world that so desperately wants to be loved but is blind to the need for God's true love, let our hearts be found full of compassion and humility, so that the world sees the true love of God in us and pouring out of us. As Jesus showed us the way of God's love, let us be the lights of that way bringing people to the place where they really need to be, which is God's love. By Pastor David Massie, Bible League International staff, California USA Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 96, 97, 98 Psalm 96 -- Psalms of Praise (1Ch 16) NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 97 -- The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let the multitude of islands be glad! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 98 -- Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 12 Romans 12 -- Offering yourselves as Living Sacrifices; Revenge forbidden NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.Insight Everyone was talking about Jesus! But when it came time to speak up for him in public, no one said a word. All were afraid. Fear can stifle our witness. Although many people talk about Christ in church, when it comes to making a public statement about their faith, they are often embarrassed. Challenge Jesus says that he will acknowledge us before God if we acknowledge him before others. Be courageous! Speak up for Christ! Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 104:16 The cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted.Lebanon's cedars are emblematic of the Christian, in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. He is not man-planted, nor self-planted, but God-planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart which he had himself prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven owns the great Husbandman as his planter. Moreover, the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their watering; they stand on the lofty rock, unmoistened by human irrigation; and yet our heavenly Father supplieth them. Thus it is with the Christian who has learned to live by faith. He is independent of man, even in temporal things; for his continued maintenance he looks to the Lord his God, and to him alone. The dew of heaven is his portion, and the God of heaven is his fountain. Again, the cedars of Lebanon are not protected by any mortal power. They owe nothing to man for their preservation from stormy wind and tempest. They are God's trees, kept and preserved by him, and by him alone. It is precisely the same with the Christian. He is not a hot-house plant, sheltered from temptation; he stands in the most exposed position; he has no shelter, no protection, except this, that the broad wings of the eternal God always cover the cedars which he himself has planted. Like cedars, believers are full of sap, having vitality enough to be ever green, even amid winter's snows. Lastly, the flourishing and majestic condition of the cedar is to the praise of God only. The Lord, even the Lord alone hath been everything unto the cedars, and, therefore David very sweetly puts it in one of the psalms, "Praise ye the Lord, fruitful trees and all cedars." In the believer there is nothing that can magnify man; he is planted, nourished, and protected by the Lord's own hand, and to him let all the glory be ascribed. Daily Light on the Daily Path Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.John 14:3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 1 Peter 1:4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, Hebrews 13:14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Acts 1:11 They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." James 5:7,8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. • You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Hebrews 10:37 FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. 1 Thessalonians 4:17,18 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. • Therefore comfort one another with these words. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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