Monday, February 27, 2017

Is Your Love for Others Complete?


 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:15-18

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, if anyone testifies that Jesus is the Son of God, if anyone witnesses that Jesus is the Son of God, if anyone confidently shares to others that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 
  
What did John the Baptist do?  Jesus said this of John, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Mt 11:11)  What did the greatest person ever born of women do?  He cried in the wilderness, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:2)  He prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance.  The Spirit of God was in him and he preached repentance as his life’s purpose and work.

How did God love people?  He sent His Son so that people could believe in Him.  People can confess their sins and accept the perfect sacrifice of Jesus for their sins. 

How then is our love for others demonstrated?  We testify about Jesus.  We tell others that if they will repent there is salvation.  Verse 17 says that this is how love is made complete among us … in this world we are like Jesus.  The famous quote from the book In His Steps, written by Charles Sheldon in 1897, of “What Would Jesus Do” is a good way of considering our actions.  But truthfully, if our action isn’t one that testifies about the purpose of Jesus or that leads someone to know Him better, then it probably isn’t what He would do.  Every action of Jesus was a moment of teaching or it was a moment to reveal the salvation of man.

What is the statement of fear about?  Why did the writer John put a statement about fear just after a statement of being like Jesus?

Have you ever felt the tug of the Holy Spirit within you at some moment in time to describe or testify about something of God, but has failed to do so because of ... fear?  I feel pretty assured everyone has.  At that moment, we allowed fear of rejection, fear of being despised, fear of losing friends, fear of a change in our lifestyle, fear of sounding stupid, fear of not knowing enough, or some other fear, prevent us from following the love that God wanted to show to someone through revelation of Himself.  At that moment, our love was not perfect.  If we had truly loved that person like God does, we would have been compelled to testify about God, rather than fear anything in this world.

Today, let your love be completed and be willing to be like Jesus, ready to answer about the reality of who God is and what He has done.

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