love like Jesus – Be Still…

1 John 4:1-21 – What the World Needs Now

John gives us quite a lesson on love after he warns us about false prophets. We’re supposed to love fellow believers and test every prophet to make sure they are in alignment with the truth about Jesus. Verse 4 has some reassuring news for us in terms of these false prophets. “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” John has a lot to say about both topics, but let’s focus on love because the world could use a reminder of what love means.

John tells us a couple of things about love that make sense to us as believers. He says that love comes from God, and that God is love. Take a moment to let that sink in just a bit. Love is a gift from God, and our ability to love has a purpose. Many people distort love into something it is not intended to be, totally missing the point of such a gift. Continue reading “1 John 4:1-21 – What the World Needs Now”

John 15:18-27 – Where Hate Comes From

Read John 15:18-27

The word “hate” gets thrown around so loosely these days. But using this “buzzword” is nothing new. In fact, Jesus reminds us that people hated him, and he warns us that as his followers, we can expect to be hated as well. Does this reading give you a new and different perspective on what it means to hate or be hated?

For me, I see people saying bad things about Christians all the time on social media. The “h” word is usually part of the conversation, but the claims are usually that Christians are the ones who hate. That breaks my heart. Jesus has been telling us repeatedly in our last couple of readings that we are to set ourselves apart by loving one another. According to Jesus, hate comes at us for our allegiance to him. Continue reading “John 15:18-27 – Where Hate Comes From”

Luke 6:27-28 – Love Your Enemies

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. (Luke 6:27-28)

These verses challenge us, don’t they? Jesus knew that not everyone would be up for the task. We know this by the way he leads into this command. I don’t know about you, but I want to listen to everything that Jesus says—even the hard stuff.

Context (Luke 6:27-36): Here, Jesus is addressing us about loving our enemies and what that looks like. It makes total sense that Jesus would make a special point to share this message because it isn’t something we would think to do otherwise. People don’t naturally go out of their way to love people who have hurt them or are mean and cruel. It’s in this section of the Bible that we find the “golden rule,” when Jesus says, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (verse 31) It’s easy to love the lovable, but it takes dedication and loyalty to Jesus to love our enemies. Continue reading “Luke 6:27-28 – Love Your Enemies”

2 Peter 1:5-11 – Responding to God’s Promise

Read 2 Peter 1:5-11

In our last reading, we explored how faith is a gift from the Lord along with his promise we can reflect his divine nature. This text gives us more insight into how we should respond to this gift. Apparently, we need to “take action” to enjoy the richness of the promise’s fulfillment.

To accomplish this task, Peter teaches us how to acknowledge and handle the gift we’ve been given. I’m guessing Peter expected people would not take advantage of all God has to offer. It’s helpful to know a response is needed so we don’t leave God’s promise behind. Did the prescription Peter outlines seem a bit daunting?