1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
In a world that wants to divide us we can be that beacon of hope that brings all of us, as creations of God, together. We can respect and honor that spark of our Creator that is in every human being that comes into this world. We can shine His light in the darkness exposing the evil that wants to kill, steal and destroy us. We bring hope to the marginalized and the oppressed by showing our neighbors God’s love for them. Be the light and let it shine, don’t hide it under a basket. it is meant to be shared. Carla
1 John 4:7-11
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Know God here refers to an intimate, experiential knowledge of God, rather than just information about God. John never says that those who do not love are not born of God (verse 7). Yet it is impossible to know God intimately without loving others, for God is love. Anyone in whom God dwells reflects His character. To claim to know God while failing to love others is to make a false claim (1:6). The love of God for His children was visibly demonstrated through Jesus’ work on the Cross on our behalf. Only begotten Son expresses the sense of uniqueness, not a literal birth (Hebrews 11:17). John is the only New Testament author who calls Jesus this (John 1:18; 3:16, 18). In other words, Jesus is the unique Son of God; no other person is God’s Son in the way He is. The NKJV Study Bible
As Father, God provides His children with guidance through the Spirit. John’s use of this language reflects God’s act of making people one with Him and restoring the image that God intended for humanity in the beginning (Genesis 1:27). God is love. Although love is an essential attribute of God, John is not making an abstract statement about God’s character. John’s point is that God can be known only through His demonstration of His love, most profoundly seen in sending His Son in the flesh as a sacrifice for humanity. God demonstrated His love for humanity and creation by sending His only Son to die as a means of atonement for sin (1 John 4:9; John 3:16). Since the incarnation represents God’s ultimate expression of love, those who deny that Jesus came in the flesh reject God’s love for them. The propitiation refers to the reconciliatory significance of Christ’s death and resurrection.
John links together the two main issues that the false teachers have misconstrued: love of God and love of neighbor. For John, the two expressions of love are inextricably tied together. Faithlife Study Bible
John 3:16–18
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever 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…
1 John 3:10–11
In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 5:11
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
Let us unpack our two invitations. To live awake, and to squeeze life. Both allow us to choose. Both allow us to honor what really matters. And the good news? From that place, we are tethered and grounded.
So, it’s paradigm shift time.
“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” Robin Wall Kimmerer
If I were giving a talk, I would say “Let’s read that again. Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy.”
This takes me back to my garden: It’s the dirt that really matters.
When we focus only on the “flowers”, what really matters—the dirt they grow in—gets lost, hidden, unseen, so we don’t draw on it.
It is the same with the world we live in. When we embrace the gift of “squeezing” the “dirt,” we gratefully honor that hope, renewal, rebuilding, kindness, connection, forgiveness, reconciliation, integrity, and human dignity still exist. Sabbath Moments
“When you desire to see the beauty and joy in everyday life; something magical happens; ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the very process of life begins to nourish your soul.” Jill Alman-Bernstein
If you are experiencing fiery trials right now, take heart. Because Jesus is alive, our hope for the future is as well! A resurrected Savior means we have "living hope" (1 Peter 1:3) and certain confidence in what's to come. No matter how heavy life gets, we look forward to an inheritance that will never change and never end. First5
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