love like GOD loves

1 John 4:7

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."

This week, in our FAITH WORDS series, we are studying LOVE. We are used to seeing and using the word LOVE. Yesterday, we read one of the most famous verses from the Holy Bible; John 3:16. The record there is Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee. At this time, the Jewish religion was no longer about GOD'S LOVE. It was about obedience and how much you did or didn't do for God. Rules and rituals that became twisted. Jesus was saying, "It's not about what you do for God. It's about GOD'S LOVE for you!"

So, come to this study already thinking that GOD'S LOVE is greater than what we commonly call "love."" We easily talk about loving chocolate, or coffee, or popcorn, or football, or golf, or shopping, or movies, or whatever. If we get personal, we might talk about loving people, our family, and friends. But, do we love the way Jesus loves?

John thinks we should. In today's verse from his First Letter, chapter four, verse seven; "Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God."

These verses are the MOST significant of John’s teaching. Know that the flip side of the coin, malice and cruelty, are the enemies to true and pure Christianity. Christians need to LOVE like GOD LOVES.

Comments

Elisha’s example

1 Kings 19:19-21 "19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." In Luke 9:54, after James and John sought to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected Jesus, they referenced Elijah, saying, “even as Elias did?” Jesus then taught three lessons about rejection: 1- Discipleship demands sacrifice, embracing hardship and forgoing earthly security. 2- Following Jesus requires immediate, un...

I will make you

Matthew 4:19&20 "19 And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him." In our "Follow Me" series, we study Jesus calling His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. By the Sea of Galilee, a thriving fishing hub, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting nets as humble fishermen. His disciples were ordinary workers, not wealthy or educated elites. Jesus approached them and said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Remarkably, they immediately left their jobs to follow Him. This brief exchange conveys a profound truth: Jesus says, "I will make you." Only God can transform us to accomplish His purpose. We should often pray, "Help me, God," seeking Jesus' guidance to follow His plan for our lives.

God’s patience

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God did not immediately punish King Solomon when he allowed his foreign wives to build altars for false gods. Despite multiple compromises, God remained patient. Over time, Solomon’s endorsement of idolatry defied God’s covenant, leading to divine judgment, including the loss of the kingdom for his son. Some mistake God’s patience for indifference or inaction, but He follows His plan in His timing. If our nation, culture, church, or we ourselves stray like Solomon, we can repent and return to God’s path. And, should do so sooner than later! Amen!

Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

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