OCTOBER 17
THIS IS LOVE
1 John 3:16-18
By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him? My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth. (WEB)
The New International Version translates 1 John 3:16 this way... This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (NIV) If we want to understand what love is, we need only look at the price Jesus paid for our redemption. There is no greater expression of love than Jesus' death upon a cross when He took upon Himself all of the sins of the world.
Over the years, many people have told us that they find it hard to believe that God loves them. While it's understandable why they might struggle with feeling loved given their upbringing, my prayer today is that God's love will overcome every doubt of unbelief.
May faith rise up in our hearts even when circumstances, others, an orphan world system, or our own negative thoughts scream that we are not loved. May the Holy Spirit give us the grace to continually focus on the cross as the ultimate expression of the eternal love that God has for us. May we see ourselves and our eternal value to God through His eyes from now on.
The truth is that our Heavenly Father sacrificed everything He loved to gain our love, and the cross of Jesus Christ stands as the eternal symbol of the price both Father and Son paid for our redemption. May the revelation of this love prevent us from ever doubting that we are loved.
Romans 8:31-39
31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (WEB)
By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him? My little children, let’s not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth. (WEB)
The New International Version translates 1 John 3:16 this way... This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (NIV) If we want to understand what love is, we need only look at the price Jesus paid for our redemption. There is no greater expression of love than Jesus' death upon a cross when He took upon Himself all of the sins of the world.
Over the years, many people have told us that they find it hard to believe that God loves them. While it's understandable why they might struggle with feeling loved given their upbringing, my prayer today is that God's love will overcome every doubt of unbelief.
May faith rise up in our hearts even when circumstances, others, an orphan world system, or our own negative thoughts scream that we are not loved. May the Holy Spirit give us the grace to continually focus on the cross as the ultimate expression of the eternal love that God has for us. May we see ourselves and our eternal value to God through His eyes from now on.
The truth is that our Heavenly Father sacrificed everything He loved to gain our love, and the cross of Jesus Christ stands as the eternal symbol of the price both Father and Son paid for our redemption. May the revelation of this love prevent us from ever doubting that we are loved.
Romans 8:31-39
31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (WEB)