Joy and Security | Part Two
Key Thought | True love flows from staying connected to God, the source of all love.
Key Scripture | “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.” —1 John 4:16–19 (NLT)
Today we continue looking at the passage above, focusing on this line: “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
The greatest evidence of our salvation is love—not just our love for God, but our love for others.
I don’t know about you, but I find this difficult. The love the Bible describes as God’s love, and as His very nature, is the Greek word agape.
Agape is a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial love. It is often described as the highest form of love, involving a willful choice to seek the highest good of others without expecting anything in return.
That is a strong definition. The reason I struggle with love is that I often view it as reciprocal. I find it easier to love people who love me. But the love John is speaking of is not reciprocal love. It is sourced love.
When we are not connected to the source of love, which is clearly God, we begin looking for love in the wrong places. These places don’t have to be bad; they can be good things, but the wrong source.
John is reminding us that God is love. He must be our source. We have to remain continually connected to Him in order to love others well. When my love becomes selfish, it is a sure sign that I have lost connection to the source and am trying to draw life from something or someone that cannot sustain me.
“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.”
God’s invitation has always been to Himself. He has never wanted us to go out and live on our own without Him. Yet I must confess that even in pastoring, it is easy to start working for Him instead of with Him.
I often feel like a kid in a toy store, running away from mom and dad, chasing all the shiny things I think I need to feel complete, only to discover they add no real meaning to my life.
I think this is what Paul meant when he wrote these powerful words:
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” —Philippians 3:8 (NLT)
I don’t know why our God is so gracious and kind, but He is. He allows us to chase after what we think will complete and fulfill us, only for us to discover that it doesn’t. Then He welcomes us back, lovingly and patiently, sometimes only for the cycle to repeat.
And somewhere along the way, often much later than we expect, we finally discover that His love is perfect. If we will stay in Him, He will fulfill the longings of our hearts.
What a Savior. And in this season, I am learning to know Him not only as Lord, but as a friend.
Prayer | God, teach me to stay connected to You, the true source of love. Reveal the places where I have looked to others or things to meet needs only You can fill. Help me live in You so that Your love can flow through me freely and selflessly. Amen.
Reflection
Key Scripture | “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.” —1 John 4:16–19 (NLT)
Today we continue looking at the passage above, focusing on this line: “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
The greatest evidence of our salvation is love—not just our love for God, but our love for others.
I don’t know about you, but I find this difficult. The love the Bible describes as God’s love, and as His very nature, is the Greek word agape.
Agape is a selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial love. It is often described as the highest form of love, involving a willful choice to seek the highest good of others without expecting anything in return.
That is a strong definition. The reason I struggle with love is that I often view it as reciprocal. I find it easier to love people who love me. But the love John is speaking of is not reciprocal love. It is sourced love.
When we are not connected to the source of love, which is clearly God, we begin looking for love in the wrong places. These places don’t have to be bad; they can be good things, but the wrong source.
John is reminding us that God is love. He must be our source. We have to remain continually connected to Him in order to love others well. When my love becomes selfish, it is a sure sign that I have lost connection to the source and am trying to draw life from something or someone that cannot sustain me.
“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.”
God’s invitation has always been to Himself. He has never wanted us to go out and live on our own without Him. Yet I must confess that even in pastoring, it is easy to start working for Him instead of with Him.
I often feel like a kid in a toy store, running away from mom and dad, chasing all the shiny things I think I need to feel complete, only to discover they add no real meaning to my life.
I think this is what Paul meant when he wrote these powerful words:
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” —Philippians 3:8 (NLT)
I don’t know why our God is so gracious and kind, but He is. He allows us to chase after what we think will complete and fulfill us, only for us to discover that it doesn’t. Then He welcomes us back, lovingly and patiently, sometimes only for the cycle to repeat.
And somewhere along the way, often much later than we expect, we finally discover that His love is perfect. If we will stay in Him, He will fulfill the longings of our hearts.
What a Savior. And in this season, I am learning to know Him not only as Lord, but as a friend.
Prayer | God, teach me to stay connected to You, the true source of love. Reveal the places where I have looked to others or things to meet needs only You can fill. Help me live in You so that Your love can flow through me freely and selflessly. Amen.
Reflection
- Where do I tend to look for love or fulfillment apart from God?
- Is my love for others flowing from God, or from expectation?
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