God’s Love and Ours: 1 John 4 (part 1)

[bl]D[/bl]ear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

[lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0658-e1297281869775.jpg”][/lightbox]

Our most genuine efforts of love don’t necessarily come on Valentine’s Day. But still, it’s a time when the world acknowledges love. Images of love and romance throughout our towns, all red and pink. We make heart shape cookies and trade love notes. We created to love humans welcome all gestures of love, even the superficial, and especially the ones covered in chocolate!

[lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0612-e1297275996332.jpg”][/lightbox]

A world trying to love. Imperfect love shared between imperfect people.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Doesn’t everyone love? We all love something. People, animals, the world, our jobs, ourselves, our toys. Love is inherent within us because we were born of Love himself.

God is love.

This begs the question, then: If everyone loves, does everyone know God? Whether all acknowledge him, worship him and live a life committed to him, could it be that deep in the hearts of all people, God is known?

How do we discover this? How do we pull back the layers of pain and rejection that conceal Truth? How do we pierce the darkness with light? How do we restore feeling to the numbness and tear down the walls we’ve built to protect our broken hearts?

[lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0662-e1297281944948.jpg”][/lightbox]

The way to help others discover Love, is through love itself. The way we show love to others – the way we look at people, talk to people, acknowledge and serve people, behave and respond to people – all expressions of our love will point to the most faithful Lover of our souls.

For this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us.

This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent. He actively came searching for all that was lost to him. This is the redemptive mission of our Creator. He goes searching. From the moment man left God, God went looking. “Where are you?” he says to the ones who hid in shame. He goes searching. For the sole righteous man to spare from the flood. He goes searching. For a man with whom to make a covenant. He goes searching. For a people with whom to reveal his holiness. He goes searching. For men and women to lead. He goes searching. To bring back his unfaithful people. He goes searching. For the poor. The sick. The ones people won’t love. God sent – his love, his grace, his faithfulness, his Son. Our God is a giver.

This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his only son. He became flesh.  He took on our skin, our sin. In order to reveal himself to all of creation, he clothed himself with humanity. Deeply aware of our limitations, God makes himself known to us – his ultimate self-revelation – through the person and life of Jesus. Our God is near to us.

[lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0678-e1297283466893.jpg”][/lightbox]

This is how God showed his love among us.

He sent his only son into the world. He entered into our darkness. He came to where we were. He dwelt with us, lived with us in our sin. Our God is merciful.

This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his only son into the world that we might live through him. Sin will not define us, and death will not limit us. Through Jesus Christ we will live forever! And this hope of everlasting life produces a life of love and service through Jesus on this earth. Our God is gracious.

This is love.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

The love of God lives within us. His perfect, abundant love is the very source from which our love is drawn and offered to others.

[lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0663-e1297282020428.jpg”][/lightbox]

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

[lightbox href=”http://environmentsofgrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0599-e1297275903351.jpg”][/lightbox]