We have embarked upon a little journey in one book of the bible. We are engaged in taking some time to hear what the Apostle John says in his first letter (1 John).
Our home text for 2023 comes from this little letter.
Let us love one another because love comes from God. (1 John 4:7)
We all know that love is something every person longs for and needs to flourish in living this human life. So, how do we love and what happens when we don’t and how does God love us and when he calls us to love each other, what does he mean? These are the questions to address to the Apostle because he speaks of God’s love all through his letter.
Last week we began hearing that God has a future of love and his love works because he is the one who works his love.
Now John named the ‘elephant in the room. God is love but we struggle to love. In fact, so often we love self, way more than others and this disrupts our fellowship with our God, Father, Son and Spirit and as fellow ‘children of God’.
John will name this besetting problem and show us how to live in this struggle to love today. It will require some honest appraisal of you by God. It is worth the vulnerability, because it leads back to this love for which we all long.
May the light of Christ’s love fill you and encourage you in your loving of others and yourself this day.