Passage 1John 3v11-24, 1John 4v7-21
1 John 4 v 16 says that God is love and whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him. What does it mean if God lives in a person? It means everywhere that individual goes, God is present with Him/Her. If in Toronto, God is there with the person. If at home God is there with the person. If at church, God is also there with the person. Now picture in your mind how it felt when you knew God was with you in a particular situation or point in your life. Then imagine how it is to have God present in every situation and aspect of your life. For example if God was not with Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego they would have died in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3v24-25). If He wasn't with the Israelites, they would not have had any Manna to eat. If God was not with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, he would not have performed all those wanders and miracles. So in essence, having God brings protection, provision, guidance, peace, no fear, etc but the requirement is we must love. What then should we and should we not Love?
1) We should Love God: Mark 12 v 30
The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all you mind and with all your strength. We love God by obeying His commands, which is simple and short to say but might not always be easy to do. However, thank God for His grace that can enable us to do all things. Loving God by obeying His commands assures us that we abide in Him.
2) Love your Neighbor as yourself: Mark 12 v 31
Someone else we need to love is our neighbor. Our neighbor is not just the person who lives next door. Neighbors include everybody we come across. The bible says in 1John2v9-11 that he who does not love his brethren abides in darkness and does not know where he is going. If we love our brethren then we live in the light, which makes us live in God because 1John1v5 says that God is light. So in essence if we love our brethren we abide in God and this assures us that we're on the right path.
What should we not love?
1) The world and the things in it:
1John 2v15-17 shows us that we should not love the world and the things in it. These include:
-Lust of the flesh (craving of sinful man or cravings for sensual gratification)
-Lust of the eyes (greedy longings of the mind)
-Pride of life (boasting of what one has or what one has done)
Since we know what to love and what not to love, how do we actually show love to the things we're allowed to. 1 Corinthians 13v4-8 shows us that love is kind, patient and so on. Also the bible shows us in 1John3v18 that we should not just love in words or tongue but with actions and in truth. That means our love must be displayed in practice and in sincerity.
To conclude many have come across the topic of love before, but what is important is that without love everything else is unimportant (1corinthians 13v 1-3). This is something we need to keep in mind all the time. All our actions, thoughts, motives, basically everything about our lives should be driven by love because love comes from God and God is love. If love dwells in our homes, we can be sure God is present. If there is love the in church, we can be sure God is present.
Stay Blessed
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