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1 John 4:10 - REAL LOVE!

1 John 4:10 (NLT) This is real love - not 
that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent 
his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  

COMMENTARY PEARL

   When we perceive how much God loves us, 
an amazing effect is produced in our 
personalities - we begin to love like Him. We cannot help 
it. Love - agape love - is not the fruit of 
labor; it is a response. When we stand at the foot 
of Calvary, the place where the love of God is 
fully focused and caught up, the scales drop from 
our eyes, and our own love flames in response. 
We love Him because He first loved us.  
   Teresa of Avila tells how one day, going 
into her private room, she noticed a picture of 
our Lord being scourged before His crucifixion. 
She must have seen it hundreds of times, but in 
that moment of revelation she saw it as she had 
never seen it before. She saw God suffering - 
suffering for love and suffering for her. The 
revelation sent her to her knees sobbing in pain and 
wonder, and when she arose, she was a changed woman. 
The revelation of Calvary's love was the great 
divide in her life. She said that she arose with a 
sense of "unpayable debt" and went out to share 
God's realized love with others.  
   Don't try to manufacture love. Linger in 
the shadow of the Cross. The love of God finds 
its most burning expression there. Meditate on 
it. Contemplate it. Remember that heaven knows 
no higher strategy for begetting love in mortal 
hearts than by granting us a vision of how much we 
are loved, a vision strong enough to evoke a 
response in our hearts - and by that answering love 
begotten in us by the Holy Spirit, we are freed and 
purged and saved.  
   Gracious Father, I see that before I can 
love, I must comprehend how much I am loved. Help 
me be aware that in my heart I have the most 
aggressive Lover in the universe. I am eternally 
grateful. Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with 
Selwyn Hughes devotional] 

COMMENTARY

   When it comes to love, be careful. Take a 
good look around. Dont force what is wrong to 
be right. Be prayerful. Love is a fruit of the 
Spirit. Ask God to help you love as he loves. God 
has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our 
hearts with his love (Romans 5:5). 
   Be grateful for those whove encouraged 
you to do what is right and applauded when you 
did. And isnt it good to know that even when 
we dont love with a perfect love, he does? 
God always nourishes what is right. He has never 
done wrong, led one person to do wrong, or 
rejoiced when anyone did wrong. For he IS love! [Max 
Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com] 

   Sometimes our minds get hazy about how 
much God loves us. Maybe we've had a yo-yo 
experience of going up and down with our weight or a 
chronic health issue or our fitness goals, and deep 
down we feel that God's love is based on how 
we're performing in a particular area. When those 
feelings arise, we need to go back to the basics.  
   God showed how much he loves us by 
sending his one and only Son into the world to die 
for us. God delights in us with an extravagant 
love that is beyond our comprehension. We need to 
build our lives on the foundation of God's ongoing 
love that sacrifices everything for us. That's 
real love that never gives up on us, no matter 
what. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional] 

ILLUSTRATION

   Do you buy your pet gifts? According to 
the American Pet Products Association, more than 
50 percent of dog owners buy their pooch a 
present every Christmas. Dogs, maybe more than any 
other pet, have a way of endearing themselves to 
us. They always seem so happy when we walk in 
the door. Tail wagging, voice barking, tongue 
licking - a dog's greeting can be something 
special. 
   But have you ever wondered why dogs lick 
you? One theory is dogs lick you because they 
like you. They're showing affection. Licking is 
also a sign of submission. In wild dog packs, the 
more subordinate dogs lick the dominant ones. So 
when your dog licks you, it shows that you're in 
charge. Dogs also lick to gain information. Their 
keen sense of smell tells them something about 
who you are. It's also probably true that dogs 
like to lick. They get salt from your skin and 
licking gives them a sense of security. 
   That's a lot of reasons to lick, but do 
you believe dogs think about all that when they 
lick you? Probably not. They just want to show 
their love. We should have the same attitude when 
it comes to our relationship with Christ. As 
you read your devotions and dig into your Bible, 
you'll learn a lot of facts about Jesus. Maybe 
those facts will increase your appreciation for 
God. But following God is more than knowing facts 
- it's about showing your love in a 
relationship with Him. 
   Pastor and professor Gregory Boyd knows 
more facts about Jesus than most people on the 
planet. But he says his love for Jesus goes beyond 
his understanding of facts. To have a 
relationship with Jesus Christ goes beyond just knowing 
the historical facts about him, yet it's rooted 
in the historical facts about him." Here's a 
fact that will only strengthen your feelings 
toward Christ: "This is real love - not that we 
loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son 
as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 
4:10 NLT). God loved us before we loved him. He 
knew the bad stuff about us and still wanted to 
have a relationship. When we think about Jesus, 
we should want to run to him in excitement - 
just like a dog runs to us - but we should 
probably refrain from licking his face. [Case For 
Christ For Kids by Les Strobel mod] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC

1 John 4:8, 16: God Is Love. 
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170419-2035.html 

John 3:16: LOVE SUPREME! 
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191228-1432.html 

Romans 5:8: The Amazing Unconditional Love 
of God. 
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190221-1123.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

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  

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657