Reflections on “Love is From God!” November 12, 2024

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.  I John 4:7-9.

Of by grace, you have been saved through faith; and that of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10.

We are God’s chosen ones! Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:12-13.

How close to God do you feel? Is His Presence a reality for you? The God the Father loves us. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides 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 testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and He in God. So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is, so also are we in this world. I John 4:12-17.

Fear Not, is a part of abiding in God and a command for those who Trust God. It is quoted 158 times. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. I John 4:18-21.

How long does God’s love last for us? His love is steadfast. His Love helps us to endure when God tests us from the beginning to the end. “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12-13.

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord. Psalm 36:5-6.

Heavens and Mountains and the Deep Sea are but part of the Creation of the Heavens and us.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them a drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Psalm 36:7-9; Who created the Light? And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:3-5.

Do we KNOW God and learn from His Word? Do we understand righteousness? Are we arrogant about who we are in Christ?

Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise. Psalm 36:10-12.

Humility is the answer. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4.

How does God love us? These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:11-13. Jesus loves us so much, that He died on the cross to pay for our sins.

 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14.

I remember the day one of my sixth-grade students asked, When was God born? After praying, I answered, and quoted, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1.

What did it take For God to create the world? And why? I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep,  Psalm 121:1-4.

Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. God’s purpose for us is to know His Love.