GOD IS LOVE

This devotion is a repost from September 19, 2011

DAILY READING

1 John 4:7-12 

DEVOTION / REFLECTION

All You Need Is Love  

OK, admit it, some days life just stinks!  Agree?  We all have our reasons for feeling this way.  God didn't promise smooth sailing, he promised a loving skipper. There are days when each of us feels like abandoning ship, days when it appears to be the only wise choice.  We have all been in that boat, we have all found ourselves filled with fear of the rolling waves that are surging toward us.

Losing my husband after 41 years has capsized my life. There are days I feel I am drowning, days when only memories keep me afloat; not only the memories of our life together, but of God's love which kept us together. I think that is why, right now, it is most difficult for me at church. We shared a love of Jesus that was most apparent when we were worshiping together.

"No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! (1 John 4:12)  This is the line that struck me today.  It was only when Dave and I came to know Jesus and His love for us were we able to understand and embrace our love for one another.

Jesus' love for us is made known to the world by our love for one another.  We are in this boat together; this life boat God has provided.  Love is our anchor and rudder.  Love will get us to the shore; we may get wet, but we will reach shore.

PRAYER PRACTICE

Spoken Prayer – Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.

I Choose Love

When I think back to a time before Jesus was the most important part of my life, there was so much brokenness and emptiness. My spirit was deflated and I was defeated. I didn't even think life was worth living and often questioned my purpose. Then, everything changed, not overnight, but through a series of happenings and interactions with God's people.

I used to think of love as a feeling; a strong feeling which overpowered and surrounded one's life. If I was loved, everything was okay. If not, then it wasn't okay in any way. Then I learned that love is a choice. While I didn't believe it at first. before long I came to realize that it is true. I can choose to love or not. I can choose to allow people into my life, my inner circle, or I can reject them. But it is a choice, not a feeling.

1 John 4:7-8 (MSG) 
⁷  My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.
⁸  The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love.

Studying and reading scripture has brought me to a different place, a new understanding. God is love and if I believe in God, then I believe in love. Choosing to love people even when they don't deserve my affections is Godly behavior. Allowing God's Spirit to influence my life and actions is a positive change and one that will make life better than you can imagine. 

This became a reality for me once I learned that my life doesn't have to be perfect. The people in my life certainly aren't perfect any more than I am. But I can choose to love them -- imperfections and all. Any they have the same choice.

1 John 4:7-12