Dave's Diary

Let’s start the week with a quick reminder:

This year, these devotions will focus on following Jesus by obeying everything He has commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20). The three highest level commands Jesus gave us were to Love God, Love one another, and Love our neighbour. Throughout the year we will study the many ways Jesus taught us to obey these commands. But for the first three weeks we’re considering the “why“. Last week, we considered why we ought to love the Lord as He has commanded us to. This week, we’ll consider why we are commanded to love one another as fellow disciples of Christ.

Jesus made it clear in John 13:34 that there is a higher standard of love expected of us in relation to our fellow believers than to our neighbours in general. He said, “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” 

But why should we love each other with Christlike, sacrificial love?

Prayer before Reading:

Join the Psalmist in this simple prayer before you read, “LORD, open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word.” (Psalm 119:18)

Now spend a moment quietly getting focused on the Lord’s presence before you read.

Daily Reading

1 John 4:7-12

John writes, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (v.11).

When I reflect slowly and carefully on that verse, it occurs to me that a critically important word is “us“. It is not that God loved (and loves) me. He did … but He also loved (and loves) the person beside me. In context, John wants us particularly to notice that the fellow believer beside me is as much God’s beloved child as I am. So, what I am really hearing in my reflection this morning is that God calls me to love my fellow believers precisely because God Himself loves them as His beloved children.

We choose to love our fellow believer with Christlike love because in him/her we see one whom the Lord has loved just as He has loved us.

God has loved us with an unconditional and very costly love, through the life and death of Jesus. While we were still far from Him, and even while we were His enemies through our sinful rebellion, God loved us by coming to us in the person of Jesus Christ, to rescue us and draw us to Himself in love. God loves us with a sacrificial love that is unearned, undeserved and unconditional.

And when we are faced with a fellow believer, we are faced with another person whom God loved (and loves) in the same way

As a believer, I am loved by God. As a believer, you are loved by God. And I am called to love you for who you are as the beloved of my beloved Father.

Contemplation:

Please take time to ponder this truth. Turn one or more of these statements over and over in your mind:

• God loves my fellow believer (name one individual believer specifically – perhaps one you find it more difficult to love).
• Now God calls me to love them with His love.
• How can I do that well today?

Holy Spirit, please fill my heart with genuine, Christlike love for my fellow believers, and empower me to love them with the Father’s love today. Amen.