1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? I tend to focus on the negatives—the lines and wrinkles, the blemishes and gray hairs. There is good there, surely, but it doesn’t jump out at me. When God looks at me, however, it’s an entirely different story. He loves me deeply and fiercely. He sees my promise and potential. But more than that, He sees me exactly as I am, His child, and it’s utterly enough for Him. He created me, and, therefore, He loves me immeasurably. That kind if love is so far beyond the norm of this world that it is truly hard to wrap the mind around.
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love….
The first part of 1 John 4:16 says that we both KNOW and RELY ON the love God has for us. I know that’s an area I personally need to work on, and I know I’m not alone. I tend to discount myself, see myself as less than, but that means I’m discounting His amazing love for me. Instead of relying on His love, to discount it means that I somehow see myself as an exception to His love. Even as I type it, I know that it’s a lie. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves me deeply. Jesus, Help me to know, trust, and rely on Your love. Always.
1 John 4:16 …Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this message. Thank You that I am not an exception to Your love. None of us are. Help me to fully accept Your great love for me. I am Your beloved, not because of who I am, but because of who You are. Help me to feel Your love in my bones, regardless of my circumstances, and to rely on Your love. Always. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
Have a blessed day.
Return to Me…. (devo reflection)
Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
The note at the beginning of Psalm 51 tells us that it was written “when the prophet Nathan came to [David] after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.” He willfully sinned and realized the evil of His act. He implored God to forgive him, not according to David’s character, deeds, or goodness but according to God’s unfailing love and great compassion.
1 John 3:15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is really a murderer at heart….
It’s pretty easy to stand in judgement of David and his transgression. Adultery is wrong. But scripture tells us that hate and anger are, too, because they separate us from God. He feels so strongly about them that He equates those who feel those emotions to murderers. I know that there is no “Scale of Sin” showing the worst offenses down at one end and those that aren’t so bad at the other. Adultery is sin. Anger is sin. Hatred is sin. I don’t know about you, but I am beginning to feel the need to implore my Savior using David’s own words: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”
Psalm 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this insight. Thank You for the reminder that sin is anything that separates me from You. Thank You for Your unfailing love and great compassion, for valuing my life and my relationship with You so much that You sweep my offenses, no matter how big or small, away like a cloud. Help me to guard my relationship with You diligently and not to let anything come between us. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 44:22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
Have a blessed day.
To serve, not to circumvent…. (devo reflection)
Isaiah 58:11a The LORD will guide you always….
I consider myself to be a very resourceful person, reasonably intelligent, capable, independent. In this world, these are good, useful traits. But I’ve confessed my propensity for worry and my “If only” leanings. I know these are obstacles in my relationship with Christ. A gem from one of my readings this morning has given me much to ponder: “As long as we rely on our own resources, we will never place our trust in Him.” Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 58:11b …He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame….
The deeply loved child of God that I am immediately bristles at the thought that I am still trying to rely on my own resources instead of my Savior. After all, don’t I spend every morning seeking a closer relationship with Him? But the realist in me recognizes the truth of the statement. It makes sense that the reason I struggle so with worry, with laying things at His feet and leaving them there, is because I think I can handle them. Clearly I can’t. I need my Savior. I want my Savior to be the center of my life. I want Him to use my resourcefulness, intelligence, and independent nature to SERVE Him, not to circumvent Him. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 58:11c …You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this insight. I love You so deeply. I need You so desperately. I don’t want anything to replace my dependence on You. You are my center. You are my life. Break down all my defenses, Lord, and draw me closer. Amen.
1 John 4:5 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.
Have a blessed day.
The message of Christ…. (devo reflection)
John 13:34 A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused widespread devastation to the southeastern US. My oldest was 4 months old, and I vividly remember holding him, sobbing, as I watched the destruction unfold on tv. Eventually, interspersed with the horror and destruction, were scenes of hope—people donating water, cleaning supplies, food, money, man-hours to help those suffering. There was no lengthy interview before helping, there was no assurance that the ones helped voted, loved, worshiped, believed in the same manner as the ones helping. People needed help, and people helped. End of story.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he sees cannot love God whom he has not seen.
In many ways, that experience shaped my active expression of faith. Repeatedly, the Bible tells us to love one another. As God loved us, we should love one another. To me, that means recognizing the divinely authored life in each person (even if they don’t), treating them with love, respect, kindness (even if they don’t)—not because they deserve it but because my Savior does that for me even though I don’t deserve. I take to heart the internet meme “Love everybody. I’ll sort them out later. ~God” To me, that embodies the message of Christ.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this deep conviction that You call us to love and serve Your people. Help me to love others as You love me—deeply, fiercely, unconditionally. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Have a blessed day.
Just because we can…. (devo reflection)
1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God….
It is pretty easy to love those who are like me, much harder at times to love those who are different, those who are prickly. It’s easy to draw lines of division between myself and those who don’t think like me or look like me, vote like me or worship like me. I had a dear friend tell me once that any time we draw a line between “us” and “them,” God is always on the other side, lumped in with our “them,” separated from us. That idea has stuck with me in a powerful way.
1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us….
Vince Lombardi once said, “…love respects the dignity of the individual.” I find these words to be powerfully true and in keeping with Jesus’s teachings. God loves us fiercely, unconditionally, even when we screw up. The miracle of His love is not our capacity to love Him, it is the fact that the Creator of the Universe loves us, deeply, fully, even though we are infinitely human and fallible, even though we have nothing of value to offer in return. And He asks us to love others in the same way—just because we can, not because they deserve it or earned it or can repay it. Help me, Jesus.
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your fierce, unconditional, unending love. It can be incredibly difficult to put aside differences and to love others simply because they are Yours. It is tempting in this world to disqualify people, deem them unworthy of loving, based on views or beliefs, based on so many things. But You call us to love as You love—deeply, fiercely, completely, even though the other person doesn’t deserve it, didn’t earn it, may not even show they want our love. Help us to love as You love, Lord. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 John 4:19 We love because He first loves us.
Have a blessed day.
Rooted in Him…. (devo reflection)
2 John 1:9 …The one abiding in the teaching [of Christ], this one has both the Father and the Son.
It is no secret that I operate by routine. The biggest part of my morning routine for the last five or more years has been rooted in bible study, prayer, reading, and reflection. This daily routine, accomplished before anyone else in my house is stirring (usually), helps me root myself, anchor my day, in my beloved Savior. Thank You, Jesus.
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
This morning I did not stick with my routine. I had an obligation that had to be completed at a specific time, and I just didn’t set an alarm to allow for study, prayer, and reflection beforehand. The result was that my morning felt off. I was a bit on edge, a bit grumpy, a bit short tempered. Of course, there are many variables that could account for the change in mood, but I sincerely believe that NOT beginning my morning rooted in My Savior played a huge role. Help me, Jesus.
1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for sitting with me quietly each morning, for whispering Your truth to my heart. Thank You for the peace that comes with abiding in You daily and for never being too busy to take time for me. Thank You for loving me more than I could ever deserve. Help me to show others Your deep love. Draw us closer. Amen.
John 15:23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.”
Have a blessed day.
Pearls of wisdom…. (devo reflection)
1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. (NIV)
There is so much packed in this verse. The commentary* provides two pearls of wisdom I want to explore further. The first is: “To be or abide in God or in Christ implies an habitual condition….” In other words, if we are truly abiding, residing, in Christ, then it’s not just something we do when we feel like. It is a continual state, meaning that just like Jesus on the Mount of Olives, we pray, continually, “…not My will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus, Help me.
1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked. (BSB)
The other pearl contained in the commentary* on this verse states: “Christian love teaches us to value our brother’s soul….” So, who is my brother? In Matt 12:50, Jesus says, “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” But Jesus repeatedly goes out of His way to tell others about His Father (Remember the woman at the well? The prisoner crucified at His right hand? The soldiers, casting lots, that He prayed for at His death?) God is love. Jesus is love. They want us to value their creation, all those with life. Jesus, Help me.
1 John 2:6 If we say we are His, we must follow the example of Christ. (CEV)
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture, for the reminder that abiding in You is a way of life, not a whim. Help me to keep my pride in check so that in every circumstance I can seek Your will instead of my own. Help me to look past my prejudices and to see You in all those around me. Help me to treat them with unconditional positive regard, to treat all others with the same loving care with which You have always treated me. Help me to follow Your example, to do as You have done for me. Draw me closer. Amen.
John 13:15 I have set an example so that you should do as I have done for you.
Have a blessed day.
*The commentary referred to in this reflection is from BibleHub.com for 1 John 2:6 and can be found by following this link. Scroll to the bottom and look at both the Pulpit Commentary and the Matthew Henry Commentary.
Personalizing scripture…. (devo reflection)
Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers….
I have several books that talk about praying the scriptures for your children, books which recommend personalizing the scripture by putting in their names and the specific circumstances you are praying for into the scriptures you are praying. Those books came to mind when I read Romans 8:38-39 this morning, but more for me than for my children. I will tell anyone, unequivocally, that God loves them fiercely, that nothing they do—nothing—can ever change His mind about their worth and value to Him. And I mean it sincerely. But somehow, my caustic inner critic says the same does not apply to me. I know that that is a lie. Jesus, Help me.
Romans 8:39 …neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So, what if I claim and personalize these verses in Romans? It might look something like this: For I am convinced that neither my errant thoughts nor my awkward actions, neither my insecurities nor my worries, neither my missteps nor my failures, neither my good intentions nor my missed opportunities, nor anything else in all creation, will change my Savior’s deep, fierce, merciful love for me. Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 43:1b “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the truth of Your unwavering love. We all have our quirks, Lord, our insecurities, our worries. We all struggle with feelings that love is conditional and that one mistake on our part could cause You to turn away, but we are Your deeply loved children, Lord. You have claimed us. You are with us. We are Your beloved. Help us, always, to believe, to trust, to live that truth. Draw us closer. 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.
Regardless of my real or perceived failures…. (devo reflection)
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Growing up, I never really felt like I fit in. I wasn’t cool enough to fit in with the popular kids. I wasn’t smart enough to fit in with the intellectuals. I wasn’t athletic at all. So fitting in with the sports set was out of the question. Everywhere I turned, I felt the reverberations of being “not enough.” Help me, Jesus.
Romans 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
I’d love to say that I have shed the shame of feeling like I’m not enough, but it is something I continue to struggle with at times. The interesting difference now is that instead of not measuring up to the world’s perceived standards, it is my own caustic inner critic usually telling me I’m falling short in all the areas of my life. Thankfully, I have grown to understand that, regardless of my real or perceived failures, I am a deeply loved child of God. Right now. Exactly as I am. Thank You, Jesus.
Romans 8:39 …neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this reminder that You love me because I am Yours—not because of anything I have done or will do, not because of what I look like or what the world thinks of me. Help me to love others, all others, the way that You love me—completely and fiercely, simply because they are Your creations. Draw us all closer to You. 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.