Skip to main content

1 John 4:11: We Also Ought To Love One Another


1 John 4:11
[11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (ESV)

BELOVED. Consider whom the Apostle John is speaking to. Beloved. Those who belong to the Kingdom of God are loved. John also loves those whom he is writing to. We are called many things by all kinds of people, but beloved is a title that we all should embrace. As a believer in Jesus Christ we are recipients of the most amazing love.

IF GOD SO LOVED US. Consider how God loved us. We were spiritually dead in our sins. We were following all of the passions and desires of our flesh. We were in rebellion to all of God's Law. We were slavishly following the marching orders of the devil himself. This position of utter rebellion caused us to be considered children of God's wrath.

But God, seeing our wickedness, made a way possible for us to not only spared his wrath, but made a way to become his children. We are now heirs of his kingdom. We have eternal reward instead of eternal ruin. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. (Ephesians 2:1-7) That is love beyond compare. That is love beyond our comprehension. That is God's love.

WE ALSO OUGHT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. We struggle to love others, don't we? We are perfectly happy loving those who love us. But, if someone posts something on Facebook that we disagree with, they are no longer worthy of our love. We claim to be loving, yet we have not talked with a family member for decades because of an argument that we cannot even remember. We say that we love one another, but we badmouth someone in our own church because we disagree on their views of the color of the carpet or the style of worship music they prefer.

If God so loved us, we ought to love one another. Do you realize what that means? We are called to love like God loves. God sets the standard of what our love is supposed to look like, not us. I always chuckle when people say, "I love them, but I don't like them." Hmmm. Is that how God loved you? He saw you in your rebellion and chose to love and like you! He sets the standard, not you.

A hard word today. You are BELOVED. Consider HOW God loved you. Love ONE ANOTHER in the same way that you have been loved. You will need some help loving.  Ask the Lord to help you. He will!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co