We Are Reminded Over and Over Again to Love One Another

1 John 1; 1 John 2; 1 John 3; 1 John 4; 1 John 5
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Scripture

1 John 4

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.

Observation

I am fascinated with how many times in scripture and by how many different writers we are reminded to love one another. Hmm…it must not be a natural thing to do. I believe that it is the hardest thing that the church has been commanded to do – is to love one another. I watch people and even myself and we tend to drift in the other direction in our relationships. And I am convinced that if we don’t stay close to the Lord and daily spend time with Him it is something that is impossible for us to do.

John says, “If you don’t love someone that you can see then how can you love God who you can’t see.” Love for our brothers and sisters in Christ is not something optional we are commanded to love them.

How are you doing loving people like Jesus did? How am I doing?

Application

Is there someone today that I need to show God’s love to?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are love. Help me love people like You want me to love them. Show me where I am messing up. Help me to live like Jesus. I know that loving brothers and sisters in Christ is very important if it wasn’t You would not have mentioned it so many times in Your word. Give me the capacity to love people like You love them.

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