The Little Letters - Day 18
1 John 5:1-5 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Remember, the commandments that John is speaking of are those that were made clear by Jesus. (Luke 10:27) Love God, and love others. These are the commandments that we are supposed to keep. They are not burdensome, because love is not a burden, but a gift!
I am writing this the day before Valentines day. And I have to tell you, sometimes, Valentines day feels like a burden, more than a gift. Particularly because my wife’s birthday is a few days before Valentines day. So I have to tell the truth, I often drop the ball on Valentines day! I don’t mean to, but I often do.
Luckily, I my wife is incredibly forgiving, and doesn’t really like crowds. So going to her favorite restaurant on a day that is not so crowded is great for her, and she doesn’t mind not going anywhere on Valentines day. (At least that is what she tells me!)
Love is not a burden when it is focused on the other person. And the commandment to love God and love others is always focused on the other! The good news is that when we focus on loving God, the love we have for others becomes real and plausible in our lives. When we recognize what God has done for us, and when we are reminded of his love for us, loving other people becomes much easier.
When have you been loved too much? When have you become tired of the love that people have for you? We don’t get tired of love, rather, we revel in it and we become better people because of it. At least this is the hope of love in our lives.
So how can you, today, find ways to show your love to the people around you? How can you let them know how much you care about them, want what is best for them, and hope to be an advocate and support for them.
Remember, the commandments that John is speaking of are those that were made clear by Jesus. (Luke 10:27) Love God, and love others. These are the commandments that we are supposed to keep. They are not burdensome, because love is not a burden, but a gift!
I am writing this the day before Valentines day. And I have to tell you, sometimes, Valentines day feels like a burden, more than a gift. Particularly because my wife’s birthday is a few days before Valentines day. So I have to tell the truth, I often drop the ball on Valentines day! I don’t mean to, but I often do.
Luckily, I my wife is incredibly forgiving, and doesn’t really like crowds. So going to her favorite restaurant on a day that is not so crowded is great for her, and she doesn’t mind not going anywhere on Valentines day. (At least that is what she tells me!)
Love is not a burden when it is focused on the other person. And the commandment to love God and love others is always focused on the other! The good news is that when we focus on loving God, the love we have for others becomes real and plausible in our lives. When we recognize what God has done for us, and when we are reminded of his love for us, loving other people becomes much easier.
When have you been loved too much? When have you become tired of the love that people have for you? We don’t get tired of love, rather, we revel in it and we become better people because of it. At least this is the hope of love in our lives.
So how can you, today, find ways to show your love to the people around you? How can you let them know how much you care about them, want what is best for them, and hope to be an advocate and support for them.
- What have you done to show someone love today?
- How can you step out of the ordinary ways that you show love and be extra loving?
- How would you loved to be loved today?
Pastor Tim
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Posted in 1 John
1 Comment
I was quite perplexed with verse 5 - that's pretty blunt! I got facebook shamed for posting a quote "A life without God is a life without hope"... some people - especially those who have lost their faith - found it condescending and patronising.... Imagine what they would think about what Paul said....