Lee McDowell Christian
Ministries LMCM
Nacogdoches,
Texas Gal. 2:20 KJV
Abiding Life
Ministries International
Littleton, Colorado
(303) 972-0859 almi@abidinglife.com
We
are only a few days away from celebrating once more the birth of our Lord Jesus
Christ. In 1 John 4, God tells us some
incredible things…actually all words in the passage today are V.I.P.’s, but
there are a couple of things that keep getting forgotten about Christmas that
are “hidden” in the words of 1 John 4:19..read on!
DAY 193
Love
We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and
hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom
he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have
from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
--I John 4:19-21
The
basic gist is that we are going to love and be loved. First we were loved, now
we love. God loved us first.
If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister,
thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he will not love the person he can see, how can he
love the God he cannot see? The command we have from the Spirit of Christ is blunt: Loving God
includes loving people; we must love both. This passage has such a bite!
Again, the true test of our walk with Jesus is not found in the perfect
situation but where we are our weakest. So often we say that we love Jesus, yet
at home, at work, at church, or on the highway, the evidence weighs against it.
We like to point to the places where we love. He points to the place where we
do not. It is not that we should go down in a heap of condemnation, however.
Remember, the purpose of
life is to lose our own righteousness, kingdom, power, glory, and pride.
We really are weak, and apart from Him we can do nothing. We just must not tell
one another we are abiding if we do not love our wife, husband, or brother.
A beautiful
passage and a beautiful commentary by Michael.
And the heart of his words are about the love that we are to have and
give. And we can’t say that we are “giving”
it IF we don’t love our spouse, brother/sister in Christ, and anyone for that
matter. And since we are so close to
Christmas, let me move there…
John 3:16, “For
God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life.” In other verses
Christ said in a few words: Love God and
Love others. Loving God involves
loving others. But how do we do that? Simple.
His love flowing through us. “We love because He first loved us.”
Have you ever
thought about the fact that if there had not been the birth of Christ, there
never would have been the crucifixion of Christ. Christmas was needed so Easter could be. If God had not first loved us enough to leave Heaven and be born on earth, then He
could not have loved us enough to die on the Cross. “We
love because He first loved us.”
He gave of
Himself to be born in the flesh, and He gave of Himself on the Cross that we
might be Born Again, and be able to truly love! Love is a whole lot more than just a
feeling. “We love because He first loved us.”
Well, amen!
Yellow – VIP, Very
Important Point Red – GP,
Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR,
Unfathomable Riches Pink – PV,
Priceless Victory
Lee McDowell Christian
Ministries
P. O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches, Tx 75963 936-559-5696
No comments:
Post a Comment