1 John 4:10 - REAL LOVE!
1 John 4:10 (NLT) 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.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Loving Compassion
The supreme happiness of life, Victor
Hugo said, is the conviction that we are
loved." "Love is the first requirement for mental
health," declared Sigmund Freud.
Unfortunately, many people go through
life feeling unloved - and unlovable. Perhaps
they were constantly criticized or ignored as
children, or their family was torn by conflict.
Perhaps they made bad choices about important issues
in life - which only confirmed their belief
that they were unworthy of love. This may be your
experience.
But listen: I have good news No matter
the reason, your feelings aren't telling you the
truth! God loves you, and if you begin to see
yourself the way God sees you, your attitudes will
begin to change. If He didn't love you, would
Christ have been willing to die for you? But He
did! The Bible says, "By this we know love,
because He laid down His life for us" (1 John
3:16).
God loves you. Hammer that truth into
your heart and mind every day. It will make all
the difference.
Gods word is his love letter to each
one of his children. By reading it, we are
reminded that the high king of heaven left his
throne, came to earth, and conquer the grave so that
we might be set free from the chains of death
and live with him forever. That is true love.
[Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham]
INTRODUCTION
Love explains: (1) why God creates -
because he loves, he creates people to love; (2) why
God cares - because he loves them, he cares for
sinful people; (3) why we are free to choose - God
wants a loving response from us; (4) why Christ
died - his love for us caused him to offer a
solution to the problem of sin; and (5) why we
receive eternal life"God's love expresses itself
to us forever.
Nothing sinful or evil can exist in God's
presence. He is absolute goodness. He cannot overlook,
condone, or excuse sin as though it never happened.
He loves us, but his love does not make him
morally lax. If we trust in Christ, however, we will
not have to bear the penalty for our sins (1
Peter 2:24). We will be acquitted (Romans 5:18) by
his atoning sacrifice. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY
In the contemplation of Christ we linger
on the shore of a love that is measureless. We
endeavor to tell of this love, and language fails us.
We consider His life on earth, His sacrifice
for us, His work in heaven as our advocate, and
the mansions He is preparing for those who love
Him, and we can only exclaim, O the height and
depth of the love of Christ! Herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and
sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God. 1 John 4:10; 3:1.
In every true disciple this love, like
sacred fire, burns on the altar of the heart. It
was on the earth that the love of God was
revealed through Christ. It is on the earth that His
children are to reflect this love through blameless
lives. Thus sinners will be led to the cross to
behold the Lamb of God. AA333-334
CLOSING THOUGHT
Accepting God's Gift of Love
Many people simply can't believe that the
Lord loves them. Others believe that He loves
them, but only when they are pleasing Him in some
way. Why is it so hard for us to accept His
unconditional love?
One reason is that we have a hard time
loving others without condition. We might say the
words "I love you" to our spouse, children,
friends, co-workers, or fellow believers but all too
often are calculating in our mind whether or not
they've lived up to our standard. We sometimes
excuse ourselves from loving certain people because
their behavior upsets or annoys us. The fact that
we place restrictions on extending favor causes
us to wrongly assume that the Lord does
likewise.
Another reason is poor self-image.
Considering ourselves unworthy, we refuse to accept
God's love. You know what? None of us are worthy
of the heavenly Father's goodness and mercy -
so you can let go of that excuse once and for
all. We're not coming to Him based on our worth.
Rather, we're coming to Him based on His grace, and
our position is secure in Christ. To put
yourself down as "beneath His grace" is to trample on
His loving, generous gift. God arranged an
awesome divine way for us to be reconciled to Him,
and His greatest desire is for relationship with
each of us.
If you feel unloved or struggle to accept
yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of
our heavenly Father's love for you - and to sink
it deep into your heart. Receive the truth that
He reveals. It will be a completely different
story about your value as an individual. [In Touch
Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at
www.intouch.org]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 John 4:10 - REAL LOVE!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200326-0757.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
