Believe in Jesus, Love One Another

God Loves Us
God's Eternal, Preserving, Renewing Love

The Source of all Love

1 John 3:18-24. The Message

When We Practice Real Love

18-20 My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
21-24 And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.

For Reflection

God is love, and we are made in love's image. We learn to be selfish. We learn to hate. But we are made to love.  So give in to loving.  The risk of loving is the sacrifice you make in response to God's love for you.  God doesn't want words of praise.  God's desire that we worship in works of praise.  Each kindness, each act of forgiveness, each action performed in humility is an act of worship honoring God.

Pray

Pray that you have the courage to love. Pray for the will and skill to love in the face of hate, in the face of oppression, in the face of prejudice,  in the face of injustices, and in the face of personal attacks.  Pray that you will measure all that you do by the fruits of your love.