November 29, 2024 - 1 John 4

What a powerful word from John:  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (4:7-11).  God has demonstrated his great love for us by sending his own Son to die on our behalf.  For our redemption there was no price too great for the Father.  Even his Son!  If we have been loved by so great a love, how can we not love one another!  This is one of the great evidences of our salvation, that we love genuinely and consistently.  Oh, we’ll have a moment here and there, but so quickly do we find ourselves forgiving and just, well . . . continuing to love!

Our God is love; and all his saints

His image bear below:

The heart with love to God inspired,

With love to man will glow,

With love to man will glow.

So may the unbelieving world

See how true Christians love;

And glorify our Savior's grace,

And seek that grace to prove,

And seek that grace to prove.   -- Cotterill’s Selection (1819)