Author: David Short

1 John 4:10-12

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.

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

Personal Challenge

We have such a misconstrued understanding of love in our culture today.. We love our spouse and children and yet at the same time we love our pet, our favorite sport team, or a myriad of other things with the same fervor. The scriptures try to teach us that godly love far surpasses any of the temporal love that we are so familiar with. Deeper studies into the Greek that the new testament scriptures were written in reveals that there were multiple words used for love: philia, agape, eros, and storge. To understand the scriptural teachings on love and how to live a godly life of love, we must understand this. God has shown us His agape love for us and expects us to do the same to those in our lives. It is only through doing this that we will see God abiding in us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 John 4:4

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Encouraging Words

There are many who proclaim that they follow Christ and yet they do not know Him or follow His ways. God has promised us that if we follow Him, submit to Him, and strive to love like Jesus loved, that we are in Him and that through Him we will overcome those who oppose Him. This is true because He is greater than those who are in the world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner!

1 John 3:18

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Personal Challenge

John does not mince any words about the Christian’s responsibility to love others. He clearly reminds us that we cannot just talk about loving others. We must, if we are truly followers of Christ, demonstrate His love for others the way that He would. This means that if they make us uncomfortable by their choices, or do things that we disagree with, or they stand for issues that are in opposition to what we believe, or whatever ,we still love them. Love is a choice followed by an action. Sometimes that love is demonstrated by backing away from toxic situations so that we do not stir up others, and do that in love. Being a true follower of Christ is a verb and never a noun. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 John 3:16

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Personal Challenge

We know and appreciate the true value of real love by recognizing that Jesus loved us so much that He laid down His life for us. This is the truth that we base our entire life on. This truth also leads us to do the same for Him and those whom He brings into our lives. We are to love one another as Christ loved us. Living this way is always a challenge in this world, but we do it for Him. Glory be to God!

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Encouraging Words

The faithful followers of Christ are deemed to be called children of God. We have God’s love bestowed upon us to the point that we are His children, His offspring. What a blessing this is to be considered a part of God’s eternal family. This also brings the challenge that if we strive to live as His children, the world will not know us any longer and even shun us. This is such a small price to pay in order to be accounted as a child of God. Glory be to God!

1 John 2:17

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Personal Challenge

This world is a challenging place to live. And for those who are trying to live godly lives and follow in the footsteps of Christ find it even more challenging. The world does not want Christ and therefore does not want His followers. By the grace #God, however, we will prevail. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 John 2:7

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

Encouraging words

Jesus fulfilled all of the commandments, the law, of the old covenant. He taught that the essence of that law could be boiled down into two commandments, love our God with all our heart, soul, body, and spirit, and love our neighbor as ourselves. John has been reiterating this new covenant, and reminding us that he is not teaching us something new, but reinforcing what Jesus taught. Our lives should not only be informed by love, but transformed be love. We should be striving to be as loving as Jesus was. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 John 2:4-6

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Personal Challenge

It has been said that we are known by the company that we keep. John challenges us to understand that just saying that we know Jesus is not enough. Do we keep company with Him enough that people see Jesus in us and in our actions. Are we followers of Jesus in word only or has our life been changed enough that we are being identified as “in Him”? The core essence of being “in Him” is love. Love for our God. Love for our neighbor. This love must be evidenced in how we show our love to others. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!