DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL: God's Love and Ours

Text: 1John 4:7-21

I will quickly share with us the verses that jumped out at me as I meditate on today's lesson. 

Verse 7- love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God. Note that this is not about filial or erotic love. This is about the selfless love that puts other people's need above our own. God showed us this love by sending JESUS to die for us despite the cost to him.

Vs 9:God manifested his love to us by sending his only begotten son that we may have life through him.   God's love is premeditated. He sought ways to express this love. He knew it wasn't enough to have it in his heart to save mankind. He had to demonstrate it in action. By sending his son, he proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he loves us. 

Verse11: We ought to show love and live in love because God has shown us an example. He said in 1peter 1:8 "be  holy, as I am holy". He doesn't demand what is impossible from us. He shows us an example first and thereby justifies his demand of it from us. So, he did not just ask us to love one another, heart set us an example first. 

Vs 12; the only proof we have of having any relationship with God is his indwelling presence by the holy spirit. Do you have the holy spirit as your senior partner? If the answer is vague to you, then you don't have him.

Vs14; there is a great power we may be oblivious to; the power in confessing that Jesus is the son of God. As believers who are used to this understanding, we usually overlook it's import. This is the dividing line between us and the Antichrist. God's power works in our midst because of this belief and nothing else. Because the spirit of grace and truth is the spirit of Jesus.

Why is this so? Because according to Romans 5:18 through one man's offence all came to judgement; through another's righteous act the free gift came resulting in justification for life. Hence according to

Romans10:10 'with the heart man believes onto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made onto salvation". 

The condition remains that one must believe and express the belief through action by confessing Jesus as lord. Then he will receive the power to live a life of love just as God loves.