Category: 1 John

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I have always struggled with verse 18 because fear, worry, anxiety are such huge, unwelcome factors of my life. I stress over what could happen. I try to plan contingencies for what might happen. As a teacher, a mother, a wife, all that planning is often incredibly useful. As a deeply loved child of God, the fear that leads to that planning can become a bulwark between me and my Savior.

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 

And as I ponder today’s scripture, I marvel at the abundant grace of my Savior. My family is currently in Georgia. The hubs and the oldest offspring set off tomorrow morning to hike north for 2200 miles (the entirety of the Appalachian Trail). I’m excited for them but also, naturally, apprehensive. Today’s verses remind me that God’s got us–ALL of us. We do not need to fear.

1 John 4:20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for knowing my heart, for knowing my fears, for sending me scripture to comfort me and remind me to trust You. Thank You for this day and for the journey that lies ahead. Be with me. Help me to love beyond my fear. Amen.

1 John 4:21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Have a blessed day.

1 John 4:15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  

Acknowledging Jesus isn’t a magic force field that keeps you from being human. Even with Jesus by our side, we still make mistakes. We still get it wrong–sometimes so very, very wrong. Having Jesus just means that each mistake, each misstep, isn’t a death sentence. We aren’t immediately kicked out of Jesus’s good graces for each slip.

1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love…

I admit that sometimes I get stuck with the mental image of the Old Testament God, who is not the epitome of love in my mind. OT God is all about vengeance and wrath. But the same God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. THAT is the God of love. And if God believes that every person is redeemable, who am I to argue? That’s the love I am to model. God’s love. Christ’s love. For everyone.

1 John 4:16b …Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 

Precious Savior, I am so incredibly thankful for Your love, Your grace, Your mercy. Forgive me when I judge another of Your children who has messed up, whom You still love fiercely and unconditionally. Help me to be as gracious with my love as You are. Help me. Amen.

1 John 4:17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   

Love one another. Simple, but not easy. Some people are easy to love–they are so much like us, they don’t challenge us, they don’t scare us or offend us. But some people–those who are so very different, so frustratingly, infuriatingly different, they are hard to love.

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 

But Jesus was never one to take the easy way. Even as they crucified Him, Jesus prayed for the soldiers who knew not what they were doing. And isn’t prayer a form of love, a way to love others? Isn’t acceptance instead of judgment, a way to love others?

1 John 4:13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

Precious Savior, You love me fiercely, unconditionally, eternally. Thank You. Help me to love others–all others, especially those who don’t seem very lovable. Help me to love as You love–fiercely and unconditionally. Help me. Amen.

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 

Have a blessed day.

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  

As I read these verses from 1 John 4 this morning, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 came to mind. In it Shakespeare writes: “love is not love/Which alters when it alteration finds,” … “O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark/That looks on tempests and is never shaken….”

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

The love John is speaking of in these verses is the same love as Shakespeare writes about–a love which accepts, a love which doesn’t seek to change, a love that is steadfast and is not shaken. This is the love God has for us and the love we are commanded to have for each other–deep and abiding, love that weathers the many, many storms of life.

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 

Precious Savior, Help me to love others as You love me–fiercely, steadfastly, unconditionally. We are called to love one another. Sometimes that is so difficult. Sometimes it’s so much easier to judge. Sometimes it seems wiser to walk away. Give us Your wisdom and guidance as we seek to love as You love. Amen.

1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 

Have a blessed day.

1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.   

The part that says, “…the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” is a favorite of mine. It brings to mind songs and other scripture that underscores the same point–God is not only WITH us, He is not only FOR us, He is IN us as well.

1 John 4:5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

The preposition IN denotes a closeness, a connection, that this world cannot offer us. I’ve heard this verse used as a weapon (“How dare you fear?!? God is with you. Don’t you trust Him?!?), but for me, it is a loving reminder. “I know you’re afraid. Of course you are. But you don’t need to be because He is IN you. You are not alone.”

1 John 4:6a We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us….

Precious Savior, You know my doubts and fears. You know my struggles. Thank You for sending me to Joshua and 1 John, for showing me that You are WITH me, FOR me, IN me. Thank You that You are infinitely gentle and fiercely loving and not full of anger or wrath. Thank You for Your presence in my life. Amen.

1 John 4:6b …This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Have a blessed day.

1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  

Commentary says that these verses mean that we need to be sure that every spiritual experience or spiritual encounter is from God. I’m not going to lie, that really doesn’t clear up my confusion about these verses.

1 John 4:2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 

Just like I wonder about prophecies and visitations from angels–were they really so prevalent two thousand years ago? Are they really so nonexistent today?–I wonder about the spirits mentioned in this verse who/what/where/when they were. Were there literal spirits in John’s time? The confusion is real.

1 John 4:3a …but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

Precious Savior, Thank You that I can admit when I am confused by Your word. Thank You that I can ask questions and wrestle with nuance. Thank You that I can love You and believe in You and shine Your light even when I do have questions about Your word. Amen.

1 John 4:3b …This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

1 John 4:17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 

When I think of my actions, words, behaviors of the past 24 hours, holding up “In this world we are like Jesus” as my litmus test, I must honestly admit that I’m not doing so well. While there were bright moments of love and kindness, there were lots of grumpy, frustrated, annoyed, petty moments, too. Jesus, Help me.

1 John 4:18a There is no fear in love…. 

It takes a lot of energy to love prickly people. Their defensive armor is thick and my energy is very low at present. And as I read 1 John 4:18a today, the thought struck me that perhaps my low energy and frustration lead me to fear–that I will keep trying to love anyway and will keep getting rebuffed, that in trying to love like Jesus, *I* will be rejected as He was. And at this time of the year, I crave kindness and acceptance from the world more than I’d like to admit. Jesus, Help me.

1 John 4:18b …But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment…. 

Lord, Some days my weak, earthly humanity keeps smacking me in the face. I want to be like You in this world. But I also want kindness and acceptance. Help me to love others confidently, without fear. Help me to cling to You always. You love me fiercely and completely. I am Yours. Help me to live that precious truth. Amen.

1 John 4:18c …The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Have a blessed day. I love you.