Tuesday 10 March, 2015
1 John 4:7-12
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
When John sat down to write this first letter which was predominantly about God’s love, I’m sure he would have reflected on a very significant event which occurred towards the end of Jesus’ life and ministry. It was the occasion when Jesus shocked his disciples by washing their feet [John 13:1-5] and by commanding them to do the same for one another! Throughout His time with the disciples Jesus had demonstrated His deep love for them. Now, John writes, that He longed to show them the full measure of His love. He did it with a supreme example of friendship.
Because he experienced that incredible love John wrote that the basis of our love for one another is the fact that GOD IS LOVE. The reason why we should love one another is that love is the supreme gift of God to everyone who has been born of the Spirit; and so it is the foundation of our relationship with God based on this incredible gift that He gives to each and every person who is born of God.
John makes it perfectly clear that anyone who refuses to extend love to another person does not know the first thing about God, because God is love.
Some years ago I watched two church leaders who were previously deadly enemies waiting at the airstrip for flights back to their homes. As I watched them I saw them embrace and sensed the power of God’s love to unite enemies.
Thank Lord for the power of your love in our lives. We thank You that, through the Holy Spirit, You planted that same love within us to enable us to live like Jesus.
Written by Keith Bennett
Love is such a big word. In the original language the word love in this passage means “to prefer”.
It is a verb that indicates I am ‘loving God’ when I am preferring to do what ‘God prefers’ and I am ‘loving others’ when I am ‘putting off my own preferences’ for the sake of ‘other peoples preferences’.
This is called sacrifice.
Thanks Keith it is always a pleasure hearing what you have to say.