1 John 4:16 - God Is Love.
1 John 4:16: God Is Love.
1 John 4:16 (NIV) And so we know and rely on the love God has
for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in
him.
COMMENTARY PEARL
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are fellowshipping in a
waterfall of love and joy. It is nothing short of amazing that the Trinity
is driven to share that joy with us. It was the Savior's mission:
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you" (John 15:11).
What joy the Trinity enjoys! Misery may love company, but joy craves
a crowd, and so the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit's plan to rescue
humans is not only for man's sake. It is for God's sake. The Father is
gathering a crowd - an inheritance, pure and blameless - to worship his
Son in the joy of the Holy Spirit. "God is love" and the wish of
love is to drench with delight those for whom God has suffered.
Soon believers will step into the waterfall of joy and
pleasure that is the Trinity. Better yet, we will become part of a
Niagara Falls of thunderous delight as "God is all and in all." In
heaven, we will not only know God, we will know him in that deep,
personal union, that utter euphoria of experiencing him. There in heaven
we will "eat of the tree of life" and be filled to overflowing with
more joy and pleasure than we can contain (Revelation 22:2).
Amazing grace, how can it be? That God would share his joy
for eternity with me? Remember, God shares his joy on his terms; and
those terms call for us to in some measure suffer as his beloved Son
did while one earth (I Peter 2:21). If you and I experience
hardship, it is paving the way for a deeper joy for all of eternity!
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for inviting me into
the fellowship of your joy. Thank you for preparing me for heaven's
joy as I trust you in the fellowship of your sufferings while on
earth. [Joni Eareckson Tada Daily Devotional:
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional]
COMMENTARY
Believing Gods Love
The greatest truth in all of Scripture is this: God is love.
Understanding this in its full dimensions will set you free to enjoy all that
is yours as a Christian. But you must accept that God loves you. If
you grew up experiencing unconditional love in your family, this may
not be difficult for you. However, if your early years were void of
love, this truth may be hard to accept. God loves you, not because you
deserve His love, but because His nature is love. The only way He will
ever relate to you is in love. His love for you gives you an inherent
worth that nothing can diminish.
If you cannot accept the truth that God loves you, you will
be limited in how you can relate to Him. When He disciplines you,
you will not take it as an expression of His love. Rather, you may
resent Him. When God says no to a request that is less than His best
for you, you will conclude that He doesnt care about you. Without
a clear understanding and acceptance of Gods love for you, you
will be disoriented to Him and to what He wants to do in your life.
If you will accept Gods love, however, you will be able to
return love to God as well as to others (1John 4:19).
Are you experiencing the profound sense of joy and security
that comes from knowing you are dearly loved by God? Being assured of
Gods love for you sets you free to enjoy the numerous expressions of
love He showers upon you each day. [Experiencing God Day by Day by
Henry and Richard Blackaby re 1Jo. 4:16]
Confidence in His Love
What a remarkable thing that we can rely on the love of God.
How amazing that we get to experience that love because all who live
in love live in God and God lives in them. That love does not
originate in us but in God's love for us. Our love for God is not perfect
or complete, but his love is perfect and complete and as we abide
in him by his Spirit, our love will grow more complete. In all our
trials we can know that God loves us more than we can imagine. This
love rescued us from darkness and brought us into his marvelous
light. This love covers all of our sins. It will equip us to stand
before the Lord on the Day of Judgment with confidence, not with fear.
This love is so powerful that with it we can live victoriously and
fearlessly because "perfect love expels all fear." Take a few moments to
meditate on the love of God and to draw near to him in thanksgiving and
praise.
Lord Of Love, thank you for first loving me! As we live in
you, our love grows more complete. Although I don't understand all
the trials I may go through, I trust in your love for me. Help me to
abide in you. Fill me with your perfect love that caste out all fear
so that I can live in confidence and rest in you and share your
amazing love with those around me. [Praying Through The Bible by Fuller
re vv. 16-18]
There is more to becoming a Christian than accepting a set of
doctrines and striving to live out a particular lifestyle. Being a
Christian involves allowing God to become a living presence in your life
... A Christian is a person who is possessed by Christ in such a way
that feelings, thoughts, and attitudes are all changed. For the
Christian person, loving becomes a spiritual exercise because God is love,
and the Christian knows that "every one that loveth is born of God."
God wants to indwell you and affect your consciousness for many
reasons, but above then all is His desire to be able to reach other
people with His love through you ... If you will pray and ask Him to be
an indwelling reality and if you are willing to yield to His will
in all things, He will enter into your consciousness and begin to
effect a transformation in your life. Most important, you will, little
by little, begin to relate to other people as He would relate to
them. You will recognize that being a Christian involves a commitment
to treat others as He would treat them ...
If you want to do something that will cause you to become a
more loving person, surrender yourself to Jesus. He has a way of
making lovers out of people. [Tony Campolo; Time With God SB re 1Jo.
3:11- 4:12]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
My unfailing Love is your "Fuel" - The best source of energy
for you. This glorious source of strength is limitless, so it is
always abundantly available. You tend to get quite focused on your
health and energy. There is a place for such concerns, but they can
occupy more and more of your thoughts. When you are preoccupied with
the condition of your body, I slip from the center of your mind to
the periphery. At such times, you are unable to receive much help
from Me. The remedy is to repent quickly - turning away from
obsessive thinking and turning wholeheartedly toward Me.
The more you focus on Me, the more access you have to My
unfailing Love. This supernatural source of energy flows through you
freely as you look to Me in trust. Not only does this increase your
energy level; it also provides a pathway for Me to love other people
through you. So let My limitless Love energize and empower you as you
walk along your life-path close to Me. (Psa. 33:5; Phi. 4:4; Col.
1:29; 1Jo. 4:15, 16) [Jesus Today by Sarah Young]
Put your hope in My unfailing Love. You live in a world where
failure abounds - in governments and businesses, schools and churches,
friends, family, and you. Instantaneous worldwide communication makes the
failures all the more evident, all the more heart-wrenching. So the idea
of unfailing Love is radical; there is no adequate model for it in
this world. Clearly, such Love can be found only in Me - in the very
essence of who I am.
Even the most devoted parent, friend, or lover will let you
down sometimes, but I am the eternal Lover who will never fail you.
This is possible because I am infinite, perfect God. Yet I became a
Man - with human understanding and empathy. In fact, My compassions
never fail. So find hope in Me and in My amazing provision for
believers - salvation and righteousness that will never fail. This hope
strengthens you and pleases Me. I delight in those who put their hope in My
unfailing Love. (Psa. 147:11; Lam. 3:22; 1Jo. 4:16; Isa. 51:6) [Jesus
Today by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2012/20121205-2113.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170419-2035.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Restoring The Power by John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
