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Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (1 John 4:7-21)
Dear Friend, a good preacher story to start the day: A couple wanted to marry and made all the arrangements. During the out-of-focus-phase when they were ordering this and that, the bride said, "I want a perfect Bible verse to go on our cake!" The groom agreed and they searched the scriptures and decided on one in today's passage, 1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." "Yes, that's the one!" exclaimed the bride and the groom beamed. They wrote it down on a napkin but also wiped away their tears of joy with it. On the day of the wedding, ceremony over, they waltzed over to the table and gasped when they saw the verse from John 4:18: "for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband." I trust your day go better than this joke!
Love is very important to God and to our Lord. Love is something God expects from us. God pours out His love to us and we, as vessels of that love, in turn share it with others. But sometimes "dams" or "obstacles" block the flow of love from our hearts to others. Many times we have placed those dams there ourselves. We decide we don't like someone for various reasons and justify the lack of love on our part. Or, we say they don't love us and so we don't have to love them. The writer reminds us, "everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love." And then the ways God showed His love is shared: "God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins." We should love one another is repeated again and again. It was the reason we have the name Maundy Thursday on that special night of the start of the Lord's Supper: Love one another was the new commandment (mandatum, thus "Maundy.")
I once counseled a woman whose husband was very abusive. She would not leave him because she thought loving him meant her staying with him. The abuse was at times, life threatening. I shared how we can still love someone from afar, and still not be guilty of not loving them; God understands situations and people, and there are times we should distance ourselves from those whom we should love. Tough love is also something some parents from time to time have to show their disobedient, unrepentant children who love addictions or habits more than they do themselves and parents sometimes may show them the door. Many have been those who have been robbed from top to bottom by children addicted to substances that they best remedy is to distance themselves from these children, and leave them to God's care. If you are experiencing something along these lines, please be in prayer about decisions you have to make, and seek the counsel and prayer of a pastor.
Onward and upward we should march, seeking perfection of love in this life. This requires daily steps of seeking to be better today than we were yesterday; and tomorrow, when it arrives, we seek to be even better.
PRAYER: Loving Father, we pause to pray for those in love and also in situations where some difficult decisions have to be made. May Your presence, power, and peace be with them to guide and bless them. I pray for the protection of any little ones who may be involved in abusive situations; be present Lord. Bless this dear reader and all s/he may face today. Guide us to faithfulness and fruitfulness, in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Love one another in ways that build up and bless God!
Eradio Valverde
