Thoughts on Love

God's Love and Ours

I John 4

 ⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^[b] into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for^[c] our sins.
¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Our family was reflecting on these thoughts from God's Word on love this evening. We study so often about how God loves us and that is so important! True love is God's love. He taught us about love in His sending His Son. Without God, we would have no knowledge of what love really is. God's love is where it all starts, not with man at all.

What hit me tonight, though, is our response to His love. Verse 11 says that since God loved us and showed that to us, we are to love others. I don't know about you, but I have a very easy time loving my husband and kids (well most of the time anyway ), but it is harder to love others. Let me rephrase that, it is easy to say that I love others, but harder to do it and show it. Especially when it seems inconvenient to me. But it's pretty clear in I John that we are to love. Not when we 'feel' like it but as an obedient response to God's Word.

Back in chapter 3 (that's I John 3)

¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Sometimes it's easy to say that we don't have a lot of 'extra' to give in love, I mean money's tight for everyone right now right? But we certainly have material possessions. We have a home, 2 cars, lots of 'stuff' when you really come down to it. Financially we are better off than we have been in past times of our marriage. We are both working, etc. I think it is always easy to think that we should give the left-overs after needs are met, etc. But I don't know about you, but I can easily start to see things as 'needs' that are really wants. For example, buying a coffee on my way to work every day…yes…I'll admit it publically, I end up spending like $50 a paycheck on coffee….I'm pretty sure that my coffee pot at home could get some more use instead. J I am being challenged to give more freely and to look for opportunities to give of my time and money.

Also…while I was cutting and pasting these to include here, I kept reading (always a good idea in God's Word right?)

^{I John 4:16}And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
      God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I have been struggling a lot lately with fear. I have been sick and I'm sure that's not helping my emotions, but I have been fighting being fearful and terrified for a few weeks. I fear things that are unknown and get so wrapped up in fear that I begin to doubt things that God has made clear in His Word. I begin to doubt how God could save me…maybe I 'didn't really believe'..maybe I "didn't say the right things..." I let the fears and doubts turn my focus off my Sovereign Savior. I am constantly battling my feelings of doubt. Those of you who know me know that I have a hard time 'letting something go' when it comes to thinking about things non-stop. I allow myself to dwell on fear. All that to say, these verses don't really allow room for me to do that do they…? God's love is certainly the definition of perfect love. If I am fearful, I am not resting in His love. I am trying to rest on my own strength, knowledge, learning, etc. I need to remember that 'I' is not where my faith begins. The fact that I can have a saving faith at all is a gift from God. Since I am not the author of my own salvation, I rest in His strength to save. I can't let my emotions rule what I know to be true. I go through periods where I don't 'feel' spiritual, don't 'feel' saved…etc, but I need to resist the doubt and instead put my trust not in my feelings but in the Saving Grace of an Almighty Savior who is Love, showed love and challenges me to love others. Pastor's message Sunday night (last night) was a great reminder of this too. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it had to do with salvation not being a result of our emotions, but a result of Jesus saving death on the cross. ( I may have to get a copy of the CD from Sunday night…it was a great message from I Corinthians.)

 

Ok…so I got a little wordy there huh? But that's what's on my heart tonight.

P.S. I remember my mom sharing I john 4:16-17 at some time in my childhood, and I remember that she had good stuff to share about that perfect love casting out fear…but I can't remember all that she shared. Could you remind me if you think of it, mom? Thanks!