Oh to love like him
1 John 4 teaches us about God’s love. And ours.
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.
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 are eternal creations! 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: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Love one another. Sounds easy! So why is it so hard? Why is it that our love comes out awkward or ill timed? Why do we pass up opportunities to show love but we’re quick to pass judgment? And why do we hide our love with pride and selfishness?
Why is it that all day long I plan to greet my husband with kind, gentle, I’m-so-glad-to-see-you words when he walks through the door from work….but instead I spew at him all the frustrating things the children did that day?
I often feel so inadequate with my love. It comes after anger. It’s not always available. And it reeks of favoritism.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
This truth cuts right to the heart of my imperfect love. Our imperfect love. We fear. We fear we’ll be rejected. That others won’t care for us the way we care for them. We fear we’ll be hurt. Or abandoned. We fear that our love won’t be enough. We fear we aren’t worthy. And ultimately, we fear that if our fears come true, God won’t be able to heal and comfort.
This love blocking fear takes our heart captive. It causes us to withhold. It provokes anger and suppresses love. And when we fear, we end up spending more time protecting ourselves, than loving others.
There is no fear in love. I have always thought that peace was the opposite of fear. But it’s love. Love is the opposite of fear. And fear is the opposite of love.
That’s why perfect love drives out fear.
The perfect love of God is able to drive out all our fears, so we can imitate his love for others.
If God showed his love to us by sending his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him, this is how we are to love others.
Be a giver. When we give our time and space – when we offer ourselves, our homes and families as environments of grace and love – we love like God. And when we give our words – offering hope and expressing grace with truthful, genuine, life giving words – we love like God. And when we go searching for people and places in need of love, thirsty for hope – we love like God.
Be near to people. His fullest expression of his love was coming to dwell with us. This act of coming in order to make himself known through the life of Christ reveals God’s longing for a relationship with his created people. The chasm between a holy God and sinful man is bridged, and we forever relate differently because of Jesus.
This kind of love is challenged by busy schedules and lists of tasks. With a quick flick of our fingers we can connect with people all over the world through email and Facebook. Amazing! But it takes time, energy and sacrifice to dwell with people. To love people by being available to them.
Be merciful. We equate mercy with helping – but it’s so much more than that. It’s entering into the world of others. It’s entering into their sin, pain, and helplessness. Entering into their darkness. Their grief. Their brokenness. And trying to understand it and show compassion toward it. It’s giving them hope and walking with them toward a new, redemptive reality. When we love through mercy, we love like God.
Be gracious. When we are unfaithful, he is faithful. When are sinful, he’s forgiving. When we deserve death, he gives us life. When we graciously give others what they don’t give to us – we love like God.
Oh to love like him! May his perfect love drive out all our fears that we might give his love to others.
edited from a previous post
