The Life and Love of God - Sunday morning reflections
From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in-we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. (1 John 1:1, 2 MSG)
Regardless of our shortcomings - Jesus sacrificed himself and we can repent every day!
But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived. (1 John 2:5, 6 MSG)
We needn't live in the shame of our mistakes. Accepting that we can NOT be whole without Him is truly the only way we will find peace. Living like Jesus - having a tenderly close and dear relationship can happen for each of us - every day!
I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name. (1 John 2:12 MSG)
Living for and loving God is very different from how many of us were raised and is fundamentally to the same as how we care for our worldly possessions.
Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important-has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. (1 John 2:15, 16 MSG)
Living for others is living for and loving God too!
This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. (1 John 3:16, 17 MSG)
God sent Jesus with hopes that we might choose to, "...live through him."
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love-so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about-not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. (1 John 4:7-10 MSG)
Those living in and loving God needn't ever fear - a life without worry IS possible in Christ. Let us allow Jesus to remove all these fears and put all that energy into LOVE.
There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life-fear of death, fear of judgment-is one not yet fully formed in love. (1 John 4:18 MSG)
And, finally...
We, though, are going to love-love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both. (1 John 4:19, 21 MSG)
My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours. (1 John5:13-15 MSG)
Loving others IS loving God. Living for God is following Jesus - the sum of the law.
From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in-we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. (1 John 1:1, 2 MSG)
Regardless of our shortcomings - Jesus sacrificed himself and we can repent every day!
But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived. (1 John 2:5, 6 MSG)
We needn't live in the shame of our mistakes. Accepting that we can NOT be whole without Him is truly the only way we will find peace. Living like Jesus - having a tenderly close and dear relationship can happen for each of us - every day!
I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name. (1 John 2:12 MSG)
Living for and loving God is very different from how many of us were raised and is fundamentally to the same as how we care for our worldly possessions.
Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important-has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. (1 John 2:15, 16 MSG)
Living for others is living for and loving God too!
This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. (1 John 3:16, 17 MSG)
God sent Jesus with hopes that we might choose to, "...live through him."
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love-so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about-not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. (1 John 4:7-10 MSG)
Those living in and loving God needn't ever fear - a life without worry IS possible in Christ. Let us allow Jesus to remove all these fears and put all that energy into LOVE.
There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life-fear of death, fear of judgment-is one not yet fully formed in love. (1 John 4:18 MSG)
And, finally...
We, though, are going to love-love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both. (1 John 4:19, 21 MSG)
My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours. (1 John5:13-15 MSG)
Loving others IS loving God. Living for God is following Jesus - the sum of the law.
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