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JOHN: HIS LOVE LETTERS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:19

 

“We love him,

because he first loved us.”

 

JOHN: HIS LOVE LETTERS
 
Aside from the fourth Gospel, John also wrote epistles. As he was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved, he experienced the love of God in Christ Jesus, his Lord and Saviour, and longed to share that love with others. The central theme of his letters is clear: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).
 
But, brethren, do we see this love in our churches today? Do we live out this command in our communities of faith? Do we truly experience the love of fellow believers who claim to be Bible-following Christians? Do we feel compassion, care, and comfort from those who profess to be born-again children of God? Sadly, the answer is often negative.
 
Many accuse Christians of hypocrisy because we proclaim love yet fail to show it. We declare ourselves recipients of God’s grace, yet we are often ungracious. Through God’s abundant mercy, we rejoice as sinners forgiven, yet we remain unforgiving and unmerciful toward others.
 
If this is not true of you, praise the Lord! You have received God’s unconditional love in Christ Jesus, and you are able to love even your enemies. You are filled with gratitude for God’s sovereign choice: that He loved you and chose you before the foundation of the world, not because of who you are or what you can do, but simply because He loves you. This love enables you to extend kindness to the unkind, generosity to the undeserving, and forgiveness to those who wrong you. You recognise your unworthiness, yet Christ has washed you, clothed you in righteousness, and justified you before a holy God. All because of His love for you.
 
This love transforms you. It is not shallow or superficial, but deep and genuine, flowing from the heart. Brethren, John wrote his love letters because he truly understood what it means to be loved by God. May we also live out that love, so the world can see Christ in us.
 
THOUGHT: Have I truly understood that I am saved because of God’s love? Does it overflow to others?
PRAYER: Father, let me be certain of Thy love in Christ Jesus, that I may express it sincerely to others.

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