S) "12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us."
1 John 4:12 (NASB)
O) The topic of love runs strong throughout this letter, and especially in this chapter. In this verse, John is alluding to one of the strong purposes of love, but from a little bit of a different angle. In John 13:35, he recorded the words of Jesus explaining that the love the disciples shared would be confirmation to the world that they are His disciples. That is a matter of our love glorifying God. Similarly, John says in this passage that no one has seen God, but if they see us loving one another - especially as Jesus does - then God abides in us, and people can see that. It is that recognition of God's presence in us, that recognition that the love we bear is from Him, that's what makes it perfected. It is because His love is on display in us, people can see the reality of Jesus through our love, and that stands in proxy of seeing God. In other words, people don't have to see God to understand He exists, if they see Christians who are loving others as Jesus loved.
A) It occurs to me now, that this verse may be giving a new light to 1 John 4:19. I always took that verse to mean I could only love because God loves me first. While I don't think that's wrong fundamentally, per se, I think it's maybe not John's point. I think he's speaking more about the motivation of the Christian to love. Many people can claim many causes for their desire to love someone, but the Christian should only ever need one reason: because He first loved us. Similarly, I am motivated to share that love God gave me, by loving others in His stead (so to speak). I think this is at the root of what it means when people say things like, "We are His hands and feet." or something like, "You may be the only Bible someone ever sees." These can feel like tired clichés, but there is certainly some truth in them. People will never see God to believe, but they may see His love in me and believe. That motivates me, almost like a responsibility, to love others because He first loved me, and o want to show them His love.
P) Father, thank You for loving me first. Thank You for revealing Your love for me, through the people who loved me before I knew You. Bless those men and women, Lord. Reward them for their faithfulness in loving me, in showing me the reality of who You are, by loving me as Jesus loved the disciples. Help me pass that legacy on to others, too. Let me be fully motivated to share your love with others, that they may come to understand You are there and love them. Let Your love be perfected in how I love others, all to Your glory. I pray that Your grace covers my failures, and that others can see Your grace when I am not loving as I should. Please forgive me for not loving as I am commanded to love. Help me be a more faithful steward of Your love, and let Your will be done in it. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment