October 25, 2023 LOVE PERFECTED
1 John 2:3-6 “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
We talk a lot about the importance of keeping His commandments. However, it is possible that we ‘are barking up the wrong tree’ concerning keeping His commandments. As we look at the verses above, keeping His commandments is a result of loving God and His loving us. If we know God-truly know Him-it is natural to obey Him; to know Him is to obey Him. God is not a distant God up in heaven some where beyond the sky; God is the Creator, He is all knowing and all powerful; He is eternal; He is the giver and taker of life; He is everywhere present; He IS love; He forgives sins; He heals and He restores. YET, He gave His only Son to die in our place that we might be restored to Him and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Once we come to know this-not just in a mental way-but with our whole being, we will love Him and we will desire to walk in the light as He is in the light. When His love has been perfected in us, it results in obedience to the One who loves us with His great love. If you are not sure of your love for God or His love for you, then all you have to do is to see if you are keeping His commandments. This does not imply that we must be perfect and it is not saying that if we ever sin, we do not love God; it is saying that we do not live in habitual sin. In the first chapter of 1 John we are told that if we say we have no sin, we are a liar. It also says that IF we sin, we have an advocate with the Father. One of His commandments is that if we sin, we confess it and turn from it; so even confessing sin is keeping one of His commands-but know that the power of sin has been broken. So, let’s keep it simple; if we have come to know Him, it will be our desire to obey every command that He has given. His love is more powerful than a nuclear bomb; it changes us at the core. The good news is that we can abide in Him as He abides in us, AND we can walk in the same manner as He walked! Let’s continue on in letting His love be perfected in us-let us grow in His love and continue being transformed to His image. We should be more like Him today than we were a year ago.
1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us, is because it did not know Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
1 John 2:3-6 “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
We talk a lot about the importance of keeping His commandments. However, it is possible that we ‘are barking up the wrong tree’ concerning keeping His commandments. As we look at the verses above, keeping His commandments is a result of loving God and His loving us. If we know God-truly know Him-it is natural to obey Him; to know Him is to obey Him. God is not a distant God up in heaven some where beyond the sky; God is the Creator, He is all knowing and all powerful; He is eternal; He is the giver and taker of life; He is everywhere present; He IS love; He forgives sins; He heals and He restores. YET, He gave His only Son to die in our place that we might be restored to Him and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Once we come to know this-not just in a mental way-but with our whole being, we will love Him and we will desire to walk in the light as He is in the light. When His love has been perfected in us, it results in obedience to the One who loves us with His great love. If you are not sure of your love for God or His love for you, then all you have to do is to see if you are keeping His commandments. This does not imply that we must be perfect and it is not saying that if we ever sin, we do not love God; it is saying that we do not live in habitual sin. In the first chapter of 1 John we are told that if we say we have no sin, we are a liar. It also says that IF we sin, we have an advocate with the Father. One of His commandments is that if we sin, we confess it and turn from it; so even confessing sin is keeping one of His commands-but know that the power of sin has been broken. So, let’s keep it simple; if we have come to know Him, it will be our desire to obey every command that He has given. His love is more powerful than a nuclear bomb; it changes us at the core. The good news is that we can abide in Him as He abides in us, AND we can walk in the same manner as He walked! Let’s continue on in letting His love be perfected in us-let us grow in His love and continue being transformed to His image. We should be more like Him today than we were a year ago.
1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us, is because it did not know Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
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