We Are The Children Of God

November 30, 2016

We Are The Children Of God

And he has given us this command:

Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

1 John 4:21

In the concluding verses of chapter four, John is using his repetitive style because he wants the church to not just mentally assent to the command to love one another, but to truly live out this command in their daily lives. The Apostle James emphasized this teaching as well: “I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” (James 2:14-20) So also the Apostle Paul, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus . . .” (Philippians 2:4-5 NRSV)

Could it be any clearer? “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. We love each other because he loved us first” (1 John 4:8, 19).

Over the centuries the church has legislated love and purity: do this, don’t do that; say this, and don’t say that. These rules missed John’s point entirely. When you are in a relationship where you love, and you are loved, you do not need rules to tell you to be faithful. Your life is shaped by love, and your fidelity is a natural fruit of your love. Your love not only shapes your life in your loving relationship, it shapes your life entirely. Your love overflows into all the people you encounter.

John is showing us that God meets our every need to be loved, accepted and to be valued. When we open ourselves to this love of God, His love overflows out of our lives and into the lives of others.

Bottom line? If you tell your spouse you love them, and then neglect the needs of others, you are “a liar and (are) not living in the truth.” (1 John 2:4)

God’s love for us was not just empty words. Christ died for us. Our love for others should not be just empty words. We are the children of God.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.