“Beloved, let’s love one another; . . .”
Have you ever loved another—just because?
Have you ever loved another—who was difficult to love?
Have you ever loved another—even when the other did not love you back?
Have you ever loved another—even when the other only returned your love with animosity?
Have you ever loved Graciously? Tenaciously? Lavishly? Sacrificially? Unconditionally? Without Prejudice?
Maybe we think: Of course not; that’s God’s love to give. Nevertheless, have we ever been given another to love in this life, a person who’s just “hard to love,” OR a person who shouts loudly through his actions, “I don’t want to be loved.” OR a person whose only desire is to flaunt our love in our face? Maybe we have loved others who responded like this, and maybe we will be led by God to love someone like this today. Will we be ready? Will we be prepared to love others we encounter as God loved us? Will we be able to fully love another efficiently, even another who pushes us away, who does not accept our actions of love? Will we be offended by their refusal of our love OR will we continue in our pursuit of them, lavishly loving them, even more than we love ourselves?
The apostle John walked beside Jesus, and because He did, John was given the Word of God to share with us.
God’s love is VAST!
God’s love is ETERNAL!
God’s love is FREELY GIVEN!
God’s love is ours to ACCEPT or to REFUSE!
God’s love is to be SHARED with the world of humanity surrounding us.
See with me the Word of God given to us by God through the writings of the apostle John.
“Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him.
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.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
(1 John 4: 7-11 NASB)
God’s love does not run out because God has an endless supply of love to give!
God’s love was demonstrated to the world when He sent Jesus, His only son to us!
God’s love provides the only way to His Salvation & His Presence & His Eternal Resting Place!
GOD’S ETERNAL, LAVISH, ENCOMPASSING, GRACIOUS, UNCONDITIONAL, SACRIFICIAL—LOVE!
Jesus knew that He would soon depart from this world, and He knew that He was sent by God and was going back to God. Jesus also knew His disciples would remain here in the world after He returned to heaven, and because He did, Jesus knew His teachings would guide them once the disciples could no longer physically see Him. Truly, it must have been difficult to be a disciple who had left everything to follow Jesus, only to hear Jesus speak of His leaving and their remaining. Most definitely, the disciples must have been confused, scared, and even upset by this news. Among the words Jesus gave to them, He spoke to them about their care, their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ, and He reminded them how the surrounding world of unbelievers would know of Whom they belonged. Jesus reminds us today how we are to carry another’s burdens for them, and in doing so, we help others see GOD!
Let’s see the words of Jesus, written plainly for us, in RED, and let us take notice of what Jesus is telling us to do within His words.
“I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”
(John 13: 34-35 NASB)