Loving Others is NOT Optional

Considering the current condition of our country, and our world, the passage in 1 John 4:7-21 could not be more appropriate. As God led me months ago to devotionally write through the book of 1 John it would not have occurred to me that we would be in such turmoil. This anger, hate, fear, and prejudice that is displayed amongst our fellow man can only find a resolution through the power of God. There is no better time to understand that God has given us love (v.7) and has called his children to love. He has called his children to give his love to others because without a relationship with him, the people of this world know nothing about love (v.8).

The love that we are commanded to have is not one that just remains inside our minds and thoughts. God’s love was “manifested” (v.9), displayed, acted upon, given to us so that we might understand and possess life. God did not wait until we deserved or could earn his love, he gave it to us while we were still filled with selfishness, pride, hate, anger, and prejudice. He made the first move. He loved us before we said we would receive it.  He willingly acted on his love that he sacrificed his son to fulfill the required penalty for our sin (v.10). 

If you have confessed that you are a sinner before God and have given your heart and life to him, how are you giving that love to others? How have you made the first move to love one another?

In this passage there is a sense of obligation, a matter of duty to love. Verse 11 says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” If our life has been forgiven because of the love of God, given through Jesus Christ, we should not only have an incredible sense of gratitude but also a hunger for the things of God, a passion to be more like the example of Christ, a heart that loves. This is the foundation of God’s message of grace and so key to a pure message that he says, “whoever loves God MUST also love his brother (v.21).” God’s call on our lives is to be that visual representation of his love (v.12).

Does your heart naturally love others? Is it a visual representation of the love of God?

Is it difficult for you to love? If it is difficult to love others, it is an indication that your heart does not abide with Christ (v.16). Some might think that they will “get to” loving others at some point. Others might be afraid to step out and share love with others.  “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear (v.18).” I believe this is why we face such difficulty with loving one another, we are afraid. We are afraid of someone rejecting our display of God’s love. We are afraid of what others think if we display love to someone that is “not like us”. We are afraid to be the one to act first.

If we live in this fear, we have truly not understood the love of Christ. Many religions build their foundation on fear. Fear that they will fail God. Fear that they will lose their salvation. Fear that they cannot be good enough for God. We would all be in such a desperate situation if God chose to withhold or delay his love for us because of our failures. As Romans 5:8 tells us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”, we are assured that he knows who we are, what we have done, and how we are not perfect. But he still loves us!

So how can we love with the love of God?

Love someone even if:

-         they do not deserve it

-         they do not respond positively

-         their life is different than yours

-         they keep messing up

-         they look different than you

Love someone because God loves them.

Something Tells Me...

Do you ever get that feeling inside you when you know something is not quite right? You might be thinking of that feeling you get when you eat to much at the all you can eat buffet and you say, “something tells me I’m going to pay for that later”. I am thinking more of when something you believe or trust in is challenged and you say, “something tells me that I shouldn’t believe that”. So, what do you do when you have that feeling? You typically compare what you are hearing with what you know, trust, or have experienced. You might also consider the source of the information you are hearing, “oh, that’s just __________, you can’t trust anything they say”.

As we live a life surrendered to God, we are faced with many voices that attempt to influence what we think, believe and trust. Satan might be the source of teaching that is false, and the deception used to lure people away from the truth of the gospel, but he can utilize many, whose hearts are deceived, to spread his lies. 1 John 4:1-6 gives us guidance and hope as we face these spiritual attacks. Verse 1 tells us to test what we hear, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” When I think of a test that finds the facts I think of when I test the water in our pool. I use a strip that has four tabs on it and all it needs is just a small sample of the water to react and reveal the condition of the water. If it has too much or not enough chlorine(which is the foundation of what keeps the water clean), if the PH is to high or low, if the water is hard or soft, and how much alkalinity it has. All that from just a small sample of water, not the 18,000 gallons of water it holds.

We must run a test many times per day on all that influences our lives and the foundation of that test is if the source of that information confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (v.2b). This is foundational because their information needs to come from the truth of scripture and not some man made, pride driven, self-focused beliefs that will lead you away from total surrender to God. Their message is so appealing and sounds so similar to biblical teaching that many in the world will listen. They are not speaking truth, “they are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.” (v.5)

So, how do we know if someone’s message is one based on the truth of the gospel? First, from past experiences you might know right away that their information is not based on a faith in Christ and the authority of his word. Second, you just might not trust this person based on prior interaction or the integrity of their character. Third, you know the truth. Verse 4 says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” The question becomes, how well do you know the truth of scripture? How well do you know the character and nature of God? Do you know him well enough that when you are presented with something that is not from him that you would know the difference?

When you live each day with this foundation of faith, trust, and truth that voice inside that causes you to say, “Something tells me”, is the Holy Spirit of God. The second half of verse 6 says, “By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error”, when someone listens to faithful teaching and words that are founded on the word of God. The more you know His Word, believe His Word, and live His Word, that voice will become louder and louder.

Who or what are you listening to? How have you tested what you are hearing?

Have you confessed in your heart that Jesus has come in the flesh from God to defeat death and the grave so that we might have a relationship with Him? If not, will you surrender to him today?