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1 John 3:16-24 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and her Sonnet 43, this passage talks about true love, and again, it is measured by Jesus and His love for us. The writer says, This is how we can know love from Jesus, He loved us so much, He gave His life for us; and it would serve God well if we would lay down our lives for each other. In essence he's saying, How much do we love God? Can it be measured by the way we treat others and give of ourselves and what we have? The true measure of a believer's love is in what she or he does and gives. Too many speak of love and service, and those words never convince them to do the very things of which they speak. To live in truth and serve in love shows others that this love is real and genuine and comes from God. And hear this again: "For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything." (v. 20).
Though we serve God not for what this gets us, the writer says, our faithfulness gets us everything that we ask if we are living in His commandments. And in case we have forgotten what that commandment is: That we should believe in the name of God's Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as God commanded us. And through God's Holy Spirit this is made doable.
So, in the spirit of Easter, which has not yet gone away; love one another, and serve God in love.
PRAYER: Loving God of the Resurrection, resurrect our hearts and bodies from a mindset of simply saying that we believe and love; let us be living examples of a people who do love and serve out of love, to make this world a better place. It is in Christ Jesus that we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
