Tag Archives: 3:16

To Know Him Is To Love Him

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1 John 4:7 

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

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From the Websters Online Dictionary definition of love:

a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others.

 b : a person’s adoration of God

Whenever I am asked to describe God, the first thing that comes to mind is the word love. Love describes every aspect of what God is, but not just love – perfect love. Because God is love he created mankind. A perfect God cannot be absorbed with self love, so God needed a place to manifest His love, and we are the lucky recipients. But what is perfect love you may ask. Perfect love is the love that loves the sinner and the saint equally, fully understanding that both are capable of sin and redemption, separating the sin from the sinner. What parent does not love their children when they make mistakes – you might dislike the thing they did, but you still love them. That’s the Father’s love for us. That’s how we are commanded to live this christian life.

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is oft quoted at weddings and on Valentines Day, but if you replace the word love with God it’s easy to see the picture of the Father in those verses.

 

I’ll leave you with John 3:16, “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” How much does He love you? To quote my daughter when she was about 5 years old, ” a whole lot and much, much, much”.

 

The Greatest Gift Of All

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Christmas Offering by Paul Baloche

 

“Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star 
While angels sang to lowly shepherds
Three Wiseman seeking truth they traveled from afar
Hoping to find the child from heaven
Falling on their knees they bow before the humble Prince of Peace”

Do you remember when that light from above shined on you, telling you something special was about to happen? Did you seek out the source of it’s light, searching for a saviour or did you stumble into Bethlehem, ragged and tattered and torn? For most of us the trip to the saving grace of Jesus’ birth, life and atoning death was quite a journey. I wandered through the ‘desert’ for 40 years before coming to a knowledge of God’s only Son.

The first book I read in the bible was John;  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17. I need to fall on my knees daily and thank God for making a way to have everlasting life with Him. I am greatful to be able to declare I AM SAVED! If God doesn’t do another thing for me in this lifetime, that’s ok because he’s already given more than I deserve. I thank God for sending Jesus, the greatest gift of all.

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Here’s a favorite of mine from my childhood: