1 John 4
My heart has been bitter the last while for various reasons.
Been mentally struggling through various things that are true in a broken and fallen world. Been struggling to stay motivated at work as we all work apart. Been struggling with the reality of Covid19 cancelled plans and canned trips. Been struggling to admit to myself and God that my heart is poisoned by sin and ‘that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually’ (Genesis 6:5)—it’s always easier to point it out in someone else, that THEY are the problem.
It’s a hard truth to swallow living between the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’ of this age.
But I’m grateful in these times that He is patient, gentle and persistent with me. HE brings me back to Himself. Not my doing. Not my strength. Trying to focus on love these days. Trying to focus on Him. Jesus through the cross allows love to be the answer to all the questions. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Love is the answer to my prayers. Love is the only way to deal with the people around me because ‘hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses’ (Proverbs 10:12). Love is the only way to deal with myself. Every other way leads to darkness and destruction and we all know no good can come of that. Praying for love, that it may be overwhelmingly abundant. May we give it freely, may we receive it willingly and may we actually accept it in our hearts. --- Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 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 judgment, 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. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:7-21 | ESV
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Quote from @writtentospeak