Bible Verses: 1st John

This week we return to 1st John for our Bible Verses Series. May the Lord speak to us through His word and may our hearts and lives be changed.

*Bible Verses is not an exhaustive study and each reader should seek the Lord alone for revelation and translation.

1st John 4: 13-19

"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 judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world. 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."

The final verse of this passage is very convicting and it seeks to transform our lives. If we base our life from the Word of God, this passage compels us to live differently. To love others because he first loved us, before we merited love, when we were covered in sin and had turned our backs on truth, and yet why is it so easy to cast a judgmental eye at those who need our love now? This passage is compelling us to more than that. It compels us to love, the broken, the lost, the empty, those hurting, those in rebellion. We were once one of them and He loved us. This passage also challanges fear. Who or What shall we fear? The Holy Spirit gives us a direct access to the throne, and yet dears, myself included, we must first let go of our own plans, thoughts, desires, ambition, anxiety to take the first step towards the life He has planned for us. We have to dive out of the airplane with God as our parachute. If we fear we do not move. If we do not move then we have stagnant lives that are separated from Him, because the truth behind fear is that we are depending on ourselves for an answer and not God. So today. Take that leap of faith, give love all you've got, put on the parachute, and fly. . .