June 11, 2015 AS HE IS, SO ALSO ARE WE
1 John 4:16-19: “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgement; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast our fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.”
The greatest discovery we could ever make, the greatest insight that we could ever gain, the greatest power we could ever know is the love of God! The overriding theme in the scriptures- the main deal- the big idea, is that God is a God of love. (Don’t confuse what the world calls love with the love of God). In the verse above, Paul said that “we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.” God demonstrated His love and this demonstration of love turned the world upside down. When we come to know the love God has for us, our world is turned upside down as well-everything changes. It may sound so simple, but it is awesome to know that when one abides in love, he abides in God, AND God abides in him! Can we get the truth in our hearts and minds that GOD dwells in us? One day God will judge the world and the judgement will be based on the rejection of Jesus and the judgement will be sudden and it will be fierce. However, those who are abiding in the love of God, who have been redeemed, will have confidence in that day and will not have fear. The love that God has is a perfect love and in love, there is no fear. Because God is sovereign, because God is all powerful, and because this same God is our Father who loves us, we have nothing to fear. We can trust that whatever God allows to touch our lives, it is for our good. Our God is the one who provides and protects. When one is fearful, he is “not perfected in love.” God’s love is a giving love and when we abide in His love, we also become givers, and in this way we are like Him in this world! We cannot encounter His love and remain unchanged.
We live in a world that does not know the love of God and as a result, the focus is on self-preservation and “getting all you can” and in such an environment, fear and mistrust are common place. The kingdom of God has invaded the kingdom of this world and God’s kingdom stands in stark contrast to the kingdom of this world. In the kingdom of God, there is no fear; and in this kingdom, giving and trust and love prevail. In His kingdom we find joy, peace, purpose, rest, wisdom, hope, faith and love. The two kingdoms cannot be blended together-there are two, and only two distinct kingdoms. Those that have come to know God are most blessed to live in His kingdom, even while living here on earth. As we experience life in His kingdom, we can clearly see the conflict, the insecurity, the mistrust, and the fear that is so prevalent in the world. It is not our place to judge the world, or those in the world, (that’s God’s business) but it is our place to be light in the darkness. We must remember that if we have come to know the love of God, then we will be conduits of His love, and “as He is, so also are we in this world.”
We have the privilege of being a part of a revolution-a revolution of love. The old song had it right-with one correction: “What the world needs now, is love, (God’s) sweet love.” Join the revolution today-find ways to boldly express the love of God and be as He is.
1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Blessings,
Buddy
1 John 4:16-19: “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgement; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast our fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.”
The greatest discovery we could ever make, the greatest insight that we could ever gain, the greatest power we could ever know is the love of God! The overriding theme in the scriptures- the main deal- the big idea, is that God is a God of love. (Don’t confuse what the world calls love with the love of God). In the verse above, Paul said that “we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.” God demonstrated His love and this demonstration of love turned the world upside down. When we come to know the love God has for us, our world is turned upside down as well-everything changes. It may sound so simple, but it is awesome to know that when one abides in love, he abides in God, AND God abides in him! Can we get the truth in our hearts and minds that GOD dwells in us? One day God will judge the world and the judgement will be based on the rejection of Jesus and the judgement will be sudden and it will be fierce. However, those who are abiding in the love of God, who have been redeemed, will have confidence in that day and will not have fear. The love that God has is a perfect love and in love, there is no fear. Because God is sovereign, because God is all powerful, and because this same God is our Father who loves us, we have nothing to fear. We can trust that whatever God allows to touch our lives, it is for our good. Our God is the one who provides and protects. When one is fearful, he is “not perfected in love.” God’s love is a giving love and when we abide in His love, we also become givers, and in this way we are like Him in this world! We cannot encounter His love and remain unchanged.
We live in a world that does not know the love of God and as a result, the focus is on self-preservation and “getting all you can” and in such an environment, fear and mistrust are common place. The kingdom of God has invaded the kingdom of this world and God’s kingdom stands in stark contrast to the kingdom of this world. In the kingdom of God, there is no fear; and in this kingdom, giving and trust and love prevail. In His kingdom we find joy, peace, purpose, rest, wisdom, hope, faith and love. The two kingdoms cannot be blended together-there are two, and only two distinct kingdoms. Those that have come to know God are most blessed to live in His kingdom, even while living here on earth. As we experience life in His kingdom, we can clearly see the conflict, the insecurity, the mistrust, and the fear that is so prevalent in the world. It is not our place to judge the world, or those in the world, (that’s God’s business) but it is our place to be light in the darkness. We must remember that if we have come to know the love of God, then we will be conduits of His love, and “as He is, so also are we in this world.”
We have the privilege of being a part of a revolution-a revolution of love. The old song had it right-with one correction: “What the world needs now, is love, (God’s) sweet love.” Join the revolution today-find ways to boldly express the love of God and be as He is.
1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Blessings,
Buddy
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