Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: 1 John 4:7-8

By

1 John 4:7-8    "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  (8)  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

In the past weeks, we have looked at the subjects of hope, peace, and joy. This week we will look at the subject of love. I confess to you right up front that it is such a deep subject and there is no way we will cover the depth of it. I pray that my heart and mind will be able to simply meditate upon this wonderful gift of God's love that was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

According to Dictionary.com there are 8 different Greek words for our word, love. Each one is a different expression of feeling for something. Some of the more common words are eros (physical love), philia (friendship), and other words that describe family love, self love, obsessive love, love of play or games, and the most wonderful word is agape or selfless, or self-giving, love. We throw the word, love, around quite often. The English language is really deficient in expressing our full feelings. I love my wife and family. I love to drive through the mountains, especially in Cades Cove. I love Southern Gospel music. I love sitting in my recliner in the evenings. I love a Snickers candy bar.

I wanted to begin this week with today's passage in order to remind us where true love originates. "Love is of (from) God." This is that agape, or selfless (self-giving) love that asks for nothing in return. We know love can be both a noun or a verb. Love is a thing that produces action. Love comes from God within us and proceeds to another. We will see the actions that God's love produces toward us and in us as we go through this week. My thoughts this morning are leading me to meditate upon my own feelings and actions. Do my actions manifest God's love within me? Can others see and experience God's love by the way in which I conduct my life? I confess I have so much farther to go, but my desire is that others will see Christ in me.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Colossians 1:25-26

By
Colossians 1:25-26    “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;  Even   the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” In verse twenty-four, Paul has expressed his joy in bearing hardship for the church. It is of this church, the body of Jesus Christ, that he is made a minister. Since Paul used the phrase “made a minister” in verse twenty-three of this same chapter, it seems there is something important that he wishes to convey. The Greek word translated as “made” means “to cause to be.” It was the will of God (Col 1:1) that caused Paul to become a minister. God is always the cause of true ministry. Although our fathers may be ministers, if we become true ministers of the gospel it is  not  because our fathers are ministers. True ministers of the gospel do not take that path because they seek honor for themselves, or b...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Isaiah 66:1

By
Isaiah 66:1    "Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?" "The heaven is my throne..."  We know this is symbolic of God's authority.  Let me use God's Word to describe the things concerning this subject.  "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." (Revelation 19:1,6) Yes, God reigns and rules in heaven. All power belongs to Him both in heaven and in earth. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. Though Isaiah was inspired to write in symbolism, these words are not symbolic, but ...
Read more

Daily Devotion: The Peace Of Christ - John 14:27

By
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. – John 14:27 As I sit and enjoy the Lord's creation and I feel the cool breeze blow across my skin, I am reminded of the peace that we find when we stop to appreciate the works of God. While we cannot necessarily count on another tomorrow in this world, all of God’s children have the assurance of something purer, something brighter, in the world to come. This brings peace when everything seems chaotic and difficult here and now. Jesus Christ was and remains a complex Person. Not only do we have to wrestle with His dual nature, we must face the depth of His teachings. Many of the Lord’s teachings are easy to grasp even if they are hard to apply. (Have you tried loving your enemies lately?) However, some of the Messiah’s sayings make us think very hard indeed. Isaiah 9:6 famously reveals that the virgin born Son of God would be the Prin...
Read more