God's Love and
Ours 7Dear friends, let us love one
another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God. 8Whoever does not love
does not know God, because God is love.
9This is how God showed his love among
us: He sent his one and only Son[a] into
the world that we might live through
him. 10This is love: not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his
Son as an atoning sacrifice for[b] our
sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved
us, we also ought to love one another.
12No one has ever seen God; but if we
love one another, God lives in us and
his love is made complete in us. 13We
know that we live in him and he in us,
because he has given us of his Spirit.
14And we have seen and testify that the
Father has sent his Son to be the Savior
of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges
that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives
in him and he in God. 16And 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 him. 17In this way, love
is made complete among us so that we
will have confidence on the day of
judgment, because in this world we are
like him. 18There 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. 19We love because he first loved
us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet
hates his brother, he is a liar. For
anyone who does not love his brother,
whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom
he has not seen. 21And he has given us
this command: Whoever loves God must
also love his brother.
KEY
VERSE: "Dear friends, let us continue
to love one another, for love comes from
God. Anyone who loves is born of God and
knows God." (1 John 4:7)
Thought:
I have had so many teachers in my
life. I have had teachers in school. I
have had teachers at home. I have had
teachers in stores, on streets, and at
playgrounds. I have had teachers in
books. I have had teachers in nature. I
have had teachers everywhere I've gone,
stayed, and lived.
The teachers
that I have valued and enjoyed most of
all, though, have been the teachers who
taught me about love. Teachers of love
are not as rare as you would think
either. I have seen teachers of love
everywhere. The person who smiles
happily when they drop money in a
charity box is a teacher of love.
The handicapped child who offers
smiles, laughter, and hugs more freely
than we adults ever will is a teacher of
love. The person who sets corn out for
starving deer and seed out for hungry
birds in the winter time is a teacher of
love. The big dog who shares half his
food and a place in his doghouse with a
little neighborhood puppy on a cold
winter's night is a teacher of love.
Everyone who spends their lives sharing
great love though countless little acts
of kindness is a teacher of love.
Do you want to know something
wonderful? You can be a teacher of love,
too. You can be a person who gives
encouragement and joy to a soul in need.
You can be a person who cares for a sick
friend, who helps out a hurting heart,
and who shares cheerfulness and kindness
with everyone everywhere. You can be a
person who picks up trash off the ground
and plants flowers and trees in it.
You can be a person who saves a dog
or cat by adopting it and offering it
your love. You can be a person who works
hard everyday to make the world a better
place by choosing and sharing all the
love and joy you possibly can.
You can be what God wants each and
everyone of us to be: a teacher of
beautiful, glorious, and unconditional
love.
Questions to consider:
***How can I be more loving to those
around me today?
***What are
some ways in which I have not been a
teacher of love this past week?
***Pray and ask God to help you be a
teacher of His love to everyone He
brings across your path.
Links: (When avail. copy & paste into
your web browser)
