Dear Friends, Since God Loved Us That Much, We Surely Ought To Love Each Other.

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Dear Friends,

Since God Loved Us That Much,

We Surely Ought To Love Each Other.

Scripture

1 John 4

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 declare 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 fellow believer, 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 fellow believers.

Observation

Oh my, here we are once again being reminded that we must love our fellow believers. If our hearts were not so hard, if we didn't have a natural tendency to hold grudges, but oh no, it is way too easy because of our pride to want to get even and hurt the party who has hurt us!

God says, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) … but … we must not think that He can handle it so we insist on helping Him and we end up hurting ourselves more than the person who has hurt us.

The Hatfields and the McCoys were real people caught up in a feud that may have been started over a stolen pig. It ended up with revenge killings and many going to prison for life. They destroyed each other.

You and I, if we ignore what God says in His Word are capable of doing the same thing.

And that is why over and over and over again in Scripture we are commanded to “love one another”! It is not a suggestion!

Application

I will love my brothers and sisters in Christ. I will let God avenge those who have hurt me.

How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are God and I am not. You have said that You will avenge those who hurt us. It is not my job it is Your's. Help me to love people warts and all. Help me to love people even when they have hurt me or wronged me. I know that there are a billion ways that You can bless me if I don't try to do Your job. You have commanded me to love my brothers and sisters in Christ and that is my job. Your job, according to Your Word is to avenge anyone who hurts me. Don't let me try to do Your job!

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 31,32; 1 John 4

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