1 John 4:7-8

1 John 4:7-8

“Beloved, let us love one another , for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

I was really struck by verse 7- I mean big time! Read this with me!

“Beloved, Let us love one another, for Love is from God.”

Did you read that ?

We just read 1 John 4:1-6 and in that text John was talking about False teachers and how we as believers have to discern between the spirits. He talks about how false teachers will raise up among us, in our midst. How can we know a false teacher when we see him and hear him speak? 1 John 4:2&3 says, “by this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and very spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist.”

So today as we continue to reflect on verses 1-6 and we now are being mindful of what we hear and recieve as truth from others, we now need to apply verses 7 and 8.
“Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

This is really good! I think we as believers have to learn to get better at loving and not just in word but especially in DEED!

I think the key phrases in verses 7 and 8 is this : “FOR LOVE IS FROM GOD” and "FOR GOD IS LOVE"

So who do we go to inorder to understand and learn about LOVE? GOD!

How did he Demonstrate love? -
In your Journal take some time to write out all the ways God and Jesus have demonstrated their Love both to you and to those in the word.
I have written just a few and they are not in any order:
*dying for the guilty when He himself was innocent ( Jesus died on the Cross for us all so that we might have eternal life)
*stood up for justice (when the crowd was getting ready to stone the woman who had commited adultry: Jesus said, (paraphrased) “let him who is without sin cast the first stone”.
*protected the weak(Israel against its enemys)
*Jesus took time to listen to those hurting around Him
*Jesus didn’t react to the anger of others he showed concern and care to hear their complaints.
*God doesn’t remember the past once we confess our sin and ask for Forgiveness.
*God is faithful and trustworthy even when those He loves is not.

there are just a few that I came up with.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered. does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;”

Ladies, my prayer for you and me today: is that we take care in how we love! Let us love one another , for God is love.

Lord, 1 John 4:1-8 has been challenging to me, mostly because I don’t always speak up against the false teachers. I don’t always speak up when I know what I’m hearing is wrong and is being taught wrongly. I pray Lord that I/we would have confidence and boldness to speak up in Love, your love Lord, that we as believers would know when we are hearing false teaching and that we would have more discerning spirits. I pray for us all Lord this week that we would be more alert and aware of what others teach and that we would study Your word and know the Truth when we hear it because the TRUTH IS IN US! Your Word Lord!

Lord, help us to love as only you Love! Love those around us who are lost, but more importantly, love our brothers and sisters in Christ. With the love that is from You!

Grow us and Change us Lord Jesus, we ask!
It is in Your Name I pray,
The Name of Jesus:
Amen