#DailyDevotion God Wants Me To Do What?!

Thursday Easter 5

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

 

We all want to love, right? And we all want to be loved, right? But what kind of love is John talking about here? He’s not talking about romantic love. He’s not talking about the kind of love friends have for one another. He’s not even talking about the love parents have for children. So what kind of love is John talking about?

 

John is talking about the kind of love God has for us. With the love of God we are to love one another. This sort of love is from God and expresses itself in love for our fellow Christians, especially. If you don’t express this sort of love for your fellow Christians, the love of God is not in you and you have not been born of God nor do you know God, for God is love.

 

So what does this love look like? John tells us, God sent his son into the world so we may live through him. What does this mean? The Father sent his son, Jesus to die on the cross, to take the pains and suffering of death so that you may have eternal life. But how can we do that for each other? John further explains, Jesus was sent by the Father to be the propitiation of our sins. Jesus was sent by the Father to be the expiation of our sins as well. In Jesus’ death our sins and our guilt was removed from us. This also removed the obstacles between us and our relationship with the Father. The sins we have committed have been atoned for.

 

So for us to love with the love of God, because that’s the sort of love God wants us to love one another with, is the sort of love that dies, offers itself and makes peace for the other. Am I talking about I must physically die for another person to love them? No I am talking about some far far worse. I’m saying you have to forgive people. You have to die to your right to have a resentment against someone. God wants you to place what sins, hurts and harms someone has done to you and place them on the cross of Christ. He wants you, insofar as it is possible in your realm of action, to let the sins of others against you go. He wants you to be at peace with your fellow Christian.

 

Sometimes, we may have to pray, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” God isn’t asking you to drum up nice fuzzy feelings towards someone who has harmed you. He is asking that you remove the barriers on your side of things to be reconciled to them. He want you to place all your anger, whatever you believe you deserve to see happen to them on Jesus, on the cross and let Jesus be the atoning sacrifice for their sins, guilt and shame. In this way, you will show love for one another.

 

Heavenly Father, you want us to love one another as you have loved us. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may realized the great love you have for us and with this love, love one another as you loved us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.