THIS LOVE

1 JOHN 4:7-11 NKJV 
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

 OBSERVATION:

John did not pick up the unofficial title, the Apostle of Love, for no reason. For John, this was the big theme in his letter.   

In the verses for today, we find a clear picture of this God kind of love and its importance in our life.   

Yesterday, we observed love is key to our confidence before God. Today we discover that love is the determining factor in our knowledge and understanding of God.   

Always keep in mind when we use the word love, we are not speaking of romantic love. And we are not talking about a strong affinity for someone or something. Loving pizza and motorcycles are not the same thing as loving your brother/sister in Christ.  

When we walk in this love, unselfish action that benefits the other person, we show ourselves as those who are born of God and know God. 

If we do not walk in this love, we will still be born of God, but we won't know Him. We are still His children, but we will not have the fellowship and knowledge that comes from a close relationship. To know God in a greater way, we must walk in love because God is love.   

John then paints a picture of what God's love looks like. God sent His Son into the world that we might have eternal life. And God's love was not a response to our loving Him. His love moved first and sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins. 

Then Paul adds the real kicker. If God loved us this way, we also ought to love one another. This tells us that God believes we have the capacity to love this way. And that choosing to live this way is important.  

APPLICATION: 

What will walking in this God kind of love, this special love, look like in our lives? 

This love through us will be giving. This love will not be a reaction but rather an action, a first move. This love will not demand its own rights and its own way. This love will be kind and overlook a lot.  

This love is not weak. This love requires strength. God is not by any means weak, and this love is how He operates. This love will look a lot like Jesus during His time on earth. And this love will be the number one thing that identifies a disciple.   

PRAYER: 

Dear Father, thank You for Your love. Help me to walk in this same love towards others.