“This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

What is love? is a question asked by theologians, philosophers and ethicists; by romantic poets and adolescents; by betrayed spouses and abandoned children; by the hope ful and the hopeless; by the dreamy-eyed and the cynical. Answers to the question are many. And, sadly enough, many of the answers betray a hard-edged cynicism. The familiar folk song “Lemon Tree” has a father giving his son this advice: “Don’t put your faith in love, my boy. . . . I fear you’ll find that love is like the lovely lemon tree . . . very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.” In short, dream about love, sing about it, write about it–but avoid it, for it does not bring hope and joy, only hopelessness and bitterness.

The author of 1 John has a different view of the matter. Simply and boldly he writes, God is love. Inadvertently this often gets turned around to read “love is God.” If love is God, then it is what we live for, what we serve, the ultimate standard of all. Augustine wrote that, prior to his conversion, “I loved not yet, yet I loved to love. . . . I sought what I might love, in love with loving” (Confessions 3.1). Love itself was what was sought, cherished, hoped for. Love is, as one pop song of the sixties had it, “all you need.”

But John does not write “love is God,” that love is the final and supreme good. He writes, God is love. If we want to know what love is, then we must let God define it. As Frederick Buechner comments, “To say that love is God is romantic idealism. To say that God is love is either the last straw or the ultimate truth” (1973:54). For John, it is indeed the ultimate truth. God is not hate, anger, bitterness or deceit, but love. Love does not de scribe the fullness of God, but God defines the fullness of love. In this section of the epistle (4:13–5:5), we are shown that God is the standard of love (4:13-16); the one who encourages us in love (4:17-18); the source of love (4:19-20); and the one who commands us to love (4:21–5:5).God Is the Standard of Love (4:13-16).

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

God’s life-giving love is the theme of this passage. As John develops this theme, he makes three important points: God is the source of all love (4:7-8); God models what genuine love is (4:9-10); and God commands us to love each other (4:11-12). We move from the assertion that God is love to the command that we are to love each other. Indeed, the whole point of the passage is to trace the relationship between God’s love and human love, and to show how human love flows from God’s own love, which is the source of love

In short, God not only gives us the command to love but has also modeled for us what true love is, just as Jesus modeled love for his disciples when he washed their feet before his death (Jn 13:1-17). Love that does not express itself concretely and in service to others is not love (1 Jn 3:16-18). But even more, God also empowers us to love. By confession of the Son whom God has sent, we are born of God and come to know God, who is love (v. 7); we are given life (v. 9); our sins are forgiven (v. 10). We come into the realm of life and love, in which we are given life and are empowered to extend the same kind of life-giving love to others. In Christ, we have come to know the source of love.

“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because greater is He that is in you than the one who is in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”

What this passage gives us is a “field guide” to identifying or discerning “spirits”. (Don’t be overwhelmed by the word ‘spirit’. Basically, a person is either inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, which is someone we want to listen to, or they are not inspired by God, which we definitely want to avoid.) Specifically, it calls attention to two distinct “field marks” of various spirits: first, what they say or teach; second, who hears or accepts their teaching. That seems straightforward enough. With this knowledge in mind, we ought to be able to venture forth to spot and identify a variety of spirits, simply by checking each species against our guide. Why, then, does it seem that so many people cannot see the spirits for what they are and fall prey to all varieties of heresies, misin terpretations of Scripture, cults and fads? And even when we can discern truth from error and determine that a particular teaching, person or group is wrong, what are we to do? Such questions are not easily answered.

Our best defense is to remain in a close relationship with God through Jesus by means of committing to personal worship time, reading our Bible, prayer, corporate worship with other believers, Bible studies and times of praise.

If you weren’t afraid of failing, what would you attempt today?

In Matthew 25:14-30, a wealthy businessman entrusted his entire estate to 3 key workers. He gave the first worker 5 talents, the second worker 2 talents, and the third worker 1 talent.

A talent is believed to be worth about 1 year’s salary. Knowing that helps us understand exactly how marvelous of an opportunity this was for the workers. It was a defining moment in their lives that gave them the chance to:
1. test their skills
2. practice good judgement
3. profit from their investment

Two of the workers accomplished all three of these things, but the third was afraid of failing his master. In his fear, he decided t play it safe and bury the money he was given. Playing it safe got him called wicked and lazy. (Matthew 25:26)

Fear of failure always makes us play it safe. Without the courage to start, we are already finished. Everyone will either overcome their fears or give into them.

Refuse to let fear stop you from making God a return on His investment. His investment is YOU. How we use the gifts that Go has given us is a matter of utmost importance. We all could use a little reckless faith.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

John 15:9-15
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

True love requires sacrifice. It’s true. To truly give of your love, you must be willing to sacrifice for it. According to the dictionary, the word sacrifice means “destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else”. In Other words, to give up something.

Sacrifice, that’s kind of a hard word for most of us. Really, it’s a word we don’t like to use all that often. We don’t want to sacrifice much, not money, not time, not our possessions, and not our lives. To truly understand what sacrifice is, and what it would look like in our lives, we have to consider what God sacrificed for us. Stop and think for a moment. Stop and just thank Jesus for being the ultimate sacrifice for us. Without Christ, we are nothing (John 15:6). He paid it all so we could be free. Take time right now to praise and worship Him for His most excellent sacrifice.

One of my favorite songs from Third Day is Offering. Here are a couple lyrics that penetrate my heart:

“Who am I that You should suffer
Your very life to set me free
The only thing that I can give You
Is the life You gave to me

This is my offering, dear Lord
This is my offering to You, God
And I will give You my life
For it’s all I have to give
Because You gave Your life for me”

Have you sacrificed your life and they way the world tells you to live? Have you declared to God that you will live your life in obedience to Him who died for you?

Related Text:
2 Corinthians 5:15
“And Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

I don’t have a twelve step program, but here’s seven steps that have often helped me when seeking God’s guidance:

1. Clear the channel. Repent and receive forgiveness. Sin hinders communication with God. Confession and repentance show our willingness to set aside our selfishness and be open to God.

2. Be patient. “Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27: 14) “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:3) Don’t give in to self-generated urgency. Wait for God to open doors and direct your path.

3. Be aware of and beware of external pressures. These usually result from our present circumstances, or from those who are trying to impose their agendas on us. Sift all advice through God’s Word.

4. Watch out for internal pressures. These can be triggered by fear or loss or exaggerated expectations. Don’t try to manifest God’s direction on your own.

5. Persist in prayer. “Pray all the time.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) God’s goal is to mold us into His Son’s likeness, and prayer is one of His tools. Prayer is not for God’s benefit, it is for our benefit, development, and maturity. He already knows what we should do; and as we persevere in prayer, He will reveal it to us at just the right moment.

6. Search the scriptures. Read, study, and digest God’s Word. It is and will always be an unfailing source of guidance and wisdom. It cuts through the clutter in your life and helps you to filter out what is not of God.

7. Wait for peace. “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.” (Colossians 3:15) Peace is the deciding factor after going through the other steps. Peace is the verification that we are making the right decision, don’t proceed without it and don’t lie to yourself about it. You’ll know when you have it.

Related Text:
Acts 17:11

God sometimes post-dates His promises.

He takes His time getting us fully prepared for our destiny, even when we feel we’re more than ready. We may think God’s promises and plans for our lives are delayed, but they are only delayed according our time; God’s timing is perfect. This tends to be one of the hardest things for us as Christians to wrap our heads around: Completely trusting in God that His plans and His TIMING are perfect.

God finds some of His most useful people in some of the worst places. He found Gideon hiding in a cave and He found Rahab working in a brothel. But no matter where He finds us, He can always use us if we are willing to follow His direction.

Is that where you are? Have you been asking God why are you stuck where you are when your passions are somewhere else? Joshua was stuck for a time. He went to scout the Promised Land, and when he and Caleb came back to the Hebrews, they were met with opposition and unwillingness to trust God. (Numbers 13-14)

Don’t despair! As hard as it may be, trust in God. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” – Philippians 1:6

Related Text:
Psalm 36:7 “How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.”

Are you going through a dry spell?  Are you busy encouraging others, while your own life seems to be falling apart?  Maybe work or school has got you down, or maybe you’re facing some unexpected health concerns or family problems.

This is what happened to Elijah; the man who earlier called down fire from heaven suddenly found himself in the middle of a full-blown famine.  So what did he do?  He prayed. (1 Kings 18:42)

Elijah chose to:
1.  isolate himself for a while, shutting out his surroundings and distractions
2.  focus only on what God was saying
3.  keep praying

And when he did, the Bible says that he said, “I hear it coming.”  What Elijah sensed inside was completely contrary to what was happening outside.  His spirit sensed the rain before a single drop fell from the sky.

God speaks to our spirit, not our flesh. and what He says there is more real than anything around us.

When you know that God has promised you a certain thing, you must tune out all the negativity around you, reject your doubts and keep believing in God.

Related Text:
Hebrews 12:1-3

Panting is a word that brings about images of longing, yearning, and desiring.  When we pant for something, we seek it, long for it, thirst for it, wait for it, see it, know it, love it, hear it, and respond to it!  Panting for God means desiring more of Him in our activities, thoughts, and desires.  Most of all, panting for God means that we want more of God’s company.  Too often in our rush to perform for God, we fail to simply enjoy His company.  Yet we were created to be dissatisfied and incomplete with anything else.

In ‘Secrets of the Vine’, Bruce Wilkinson writes, “I made three simple commitments to God:

1.  To get up earlier and read my Bible
2.  To write a page in my spiritual journal
3.  To seek Him until I find Him

I still remember the first line of my spiritual journal: ‘Dear God, I don’t know what to say to you.’  Each day, I read what I had written.  On every page, I saw why my busy Christian life left such a bland taste – I had become an expert in serving God, but I remained a novice at being His friend.  But I stayed with it.  By the middle of the second month, things started to shift.  His presence entered my room.  My rambling journal entries gradually began to change as I listened to God.  His passion for me, His purposes for my life, began to rise from the pages of my Bible.

That was more than 15 years ago.  The pleasures of abiding – and the extraordinary benefits – have redefined God’s work through me.  I see fruit of the Spirit everywhere I turn.  Yet none of it is a result of my working harder.”

Fill up your soul today at the fountain of God – only He can quench your thirst.

Related Text:
John 4:13-14

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”

We remain locked in a prison of our own making until we quit trying to please those who disapprove of us. To many of us have made it our life’s work to change somebody else’s opinion of us. For some reason, we get determined beyond all logical reasoning to prove to them that we are valuable.

Never allow someone else’s approval of you to become your goal. The truth is that some folks may never like you, they may never (for reasons unknown) see your good qualities.

Any time we try to please someone who rejects or abuses us, we put ourselves into bondage to them. They have the upper hand; they have the control in the relationship. By saying either in words or in actions, “You were right to hit me, to hurt me, to say that about me, to leave me,” you are tying yourself up with their opinion of you rather than resting in God’s opinion of you. Furthermore, when their opinion of you becomes your opinion, you have built a prison inside your soul with yourself as the lone captive.

Let us have such a close relationship with out Savior that everyone else’s opinion about us comes in a very distant second, or even third. May we live our lives focused on Jesus instead of focusing on winning the approval of those around us. To deal effectively with others, we must be able to work alongside them without allowing ourselves to be controlled by their moods, or governed by their opinions of us. Most of all we must not let their views of us become the basis for your self-image. We MUST believe that God’s opinion of us is all that matters.

Related Text:

Hebrews 12:2

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”