1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
Christmas reminds us that God so loved the world, He sent his one and only Son to save us. John 3:16 God did not send His son because we deserved him, He sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for our sins because of our inability to pay this debt. It is because of His great love for us, this sacrifice was made. We are then called to believe so that we should not perish but have eternal life. Because of His great love for us, we can be the light and love others.
Sit with this for a moment…
When was the last time someone made this magnitude of sacrifice for you?
How then can we be the light and love others?
- When we disagree with someone…
- When someone has deeply hurt us…
- When we experience conflicts with family, friends, coworkers…
It is easy to love those that love us, those that agree with us, and those that hang in our network of friends and family. But when Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, to give and expect nothing in return, and to turn the other cheek, I wonder how. HOW? Matthew 5:43-44 Luke 6:27-36
Read 1 John 4:7-21
In reading and studying what John, the apostle, writes; the word that comes to me is relationship, an abiding relationship with Christ.
God is love-God defines love-love does not define God. God portrays a divine love.
In showing this type of love, He sent his Son into the world so that we might live. So God loving us in our sin, we must love one another as well. Us having this capability to love others only happens because God lives in us. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can know that we live in Him and He lives in us.
The word ‘know’ (verses 7 & 8) means to experience, to have a personal relationship, or to know intimately. Us abiding in Him and He in us produces spiritual benefits; that we may grow in the knowledge of God, producing a life of greater faith. The Greek word for abide is ‘meno’ which means to remain in or with someone, one with him in heart, mind, and will. This reveals a beautiful and steadfast relationship that we can have with Christ.
God wants more for us than simply hearing about His love and seeing His love. God’s plan (all along) is to live inside us 1 Corinthians 6:19. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit will abide in us forever John 14:16. Because no one can see God and Jesus is no longer in the world to manifest the love of God, we then can be the demonstration of God’s love. We, as children of God, reveal God’s love.
Abiding in Christ, (verses 15-16), this love is perfected. The Greek word for perfected is ‘teleioo’, which means to accomplish, fulfill, or complete. Because of what Christ did for us out of His love, mercy, and grace, we then can do for others. To love, to pray for our enemies, to give expecting nothing in return, and to turn the other cheek. We can experience God’s love in our life and then we can express it to others.
Jesus is love. May His love burrow deep in your heart this Christmas season.
