Week 8 - Day 4 - A Relationship With Jesus
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Living in God’s Love
Scripture: 1 John 4:16 (NKJV)
“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
Devotional:
Even before starting my journey with Christ, I knew the good feelings generated when I did a good deed for someone else. Clearly we have all experienced that it is better to give than to receive.
Why is it that, in times of trouble, a friend in need is a friend indeed?
Can it be that we are innately designed to live in love of and for others?
I have experienced the love of others when I felt it was the last thing I deserved. I have seen the power of loving my enemies even though I don’t much like their behaviour. I have destroyed many enemies by making them my friends and still held on to my integrity.
What is that?
It’s what is being said in this beautiful scripture. To abide in love is to abide in God because God is the very nature and essence of love as we have seen all the way through our journey thus far.
If we practice these principles in all of our affairs as God intended in the first place, then who loses?
Has institutionalised religion perverted the real image of God to give a counterfeit of God’s power through fear to those men who seized and distorted the narrative of God for their own purposes?
In this beautiful verse, the apostle John encapsulates the essence of God’s nature: love. God’s love is not merely an attribute or action; it is His very essence. As believers, we are called not only to acknowledge God’s love intellectually but also to embrace it wholeheartedly and allow it to permeate every aspect of our lives.
Knowing and believing in God’s love for us is foundational to our faith journey. It is the bedrock upon which we build our relationship with Him and the lens through which we interpret the world around us. God’s love is unconditional, unchanging, and unfathomable, surpassing human comprehension.
As we abide in God’s love, we experience a deep sense of security, acceptance, and belonging. His love transforms us from the inside out, shaping our character, attitudes, and actions. When we abide in love, we abide in God Himself, for He is the source and embodiment of love.
Reflection Questions:
- Reflect on your understanding of God’s love for you. How has this awareness impacted your relationship with Him and others?
- In what ways can you cultivate a deeper sense of abiding in God’s love in your daily life? Consider practical steps you can take to immerse yourself in His love and extend it to those around you.
- How does the truth that “God is love” influence your perspective on challenging circumstances or difficult relationships? How can you draw strength and comfort from God’s love in times of need?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Papa God.
Thank you for the overwhelming love that You have lavished upon us. Help us to know and believe in the depth of Your love, allowing it to shape our identity and transform our lives. Teach us to abide in Your love daily, finding our security and significance in You alone. May Your love flow through us, touching the lives of those around us and drawing them into a deeper relationship with You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Graham Hood
