Today's Scripture
Lesson of Love – 1 John 4:7-12
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
RJ's Devotion
What the passage says
V. 7-10 John calls the followers to love one another. The reason to love others is that God is love. Out of the nature of God’s love, God sent God’s one and only son. The true love, which is projected through the sacrifice our Lord, is the reason why we can love. Without God, true love cannot exist.
V. 11-12 That is the reason we are called to love. Since we receive that love, we need to share it with others. Through our sharing, we will be able to see God.
What does the passage say to me/us?
This passage raises a couple of questions for us to reflect. Do we reflect the love, received from God, or do we pretend to love others with our own might? Also, are we prepared to experience the messy truth of love in our lives?
We live in a world where we proclaim that we live with love. However, the love, we claim to share with others, can be self-centered or self-serving. We might be hiding the truth of not being a loving person, by saying that we are loving. That is why we need to carefully examine the source of our love. Do we really love others, because of the love of God that is overflowing in our lives? Do we love others the way our Lord loved us?
And when we answer that question, or at least to be committed to trying our best to love, we need to examine if we are prepared for the messy truth of love. When God decided to show true love to the world, God choose to come into the world. When we truly project the love of God in this world, the love will attract people, because people are desperate for that love. That is when we might be pushed to love the ones we never imagined to love.
At least, the love that comes from our Lord is worthy to take that risk.
It is more of the matter that we have that love in our lives?
Prayer
Lord, help us to see your true love. We need your love, and we are willing to share that love in this world.
In your name, we pray. AMEN
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