Friday January 15, 2021

Today’s Reading: 1 John 3:16-24

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 3:16

Reflection: The Love of God compels us to love not only those who do not know Him, but also our brothers in sisters who do. The Family of God is the picture for the unbeliever of God’s Love expressed to God’s people. This Love has first been shown through Jesus Christ on the Cross, and is echoed not in our “word or speech” but, as John says, in “deed and Truth.” By this Love, all will know that we belong to Christ.

What does it mean to love in deed and in Truth? Loving in deed can be easily understood, since we know how different saying “I love you” is from actually expressing love in action for someone we love. Moreover, loving everyone in general can be relatively easy, while loving individuals can sometimes be difficult. This is why John calls us to express love for our Church Family in the ways that we interact with, give, nurture, and care for them. And the extent of this love should be like that which we have first seen through Jesus. To love in Truth specifies how our deeds can accurately express the love of God. To love our Family in Christ in Truth is to love them in the way that exposes Who God truly is. Loving in Truth sacrificial, costing us everything. But it can be given to others in abundance because it has been given in abundance. Because it is God’s Love which compels us to love to our brothers and sisters, we have a unending supply of Love to give. This type of Love is different from the world, because it is not self-generated. We can love not only by Christ’s example of true Love, but also by His own love in abundance that He has given to share with His Family.

Prayer: I pray all of these things in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Thru the Bible in a year (credit: Biblestudytools.com): 1 John 3; 2 Chronicles 36; Psalm 90