My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18 KJV
John addresses the people he writes to as little children. It is not a mistake or an oversight; it is simply a reminder of the heart with which God's instructions are to be received, processed and obeyed. Too many times, we approach God from a false position of strength, where we think that we can deal with Him on the basis of head - knowledge or sheer force of action. God's instructions are not burdensome, but you need the right kind of heart to accept them as law and obey them. Do I have the heart of a little child: simple, trusting and ever - dependent on my Father? Or do I have other allegiances that divide my heart and make it hard to focus on God?
And the focus of God in today's extract is love. If you watch most contemporary movies, you will get a false image of what true love is. Anyway, there are so many types of love the world has also defined: the filial and the erotic, but today's focus is on that which God is and promotes first of all. What is it not: it is not in the abundance of words spoken, but in the largeness of the heart from which the love proceeds. It is not in sweet words by which man tries to take advantage of the other person. The world has so many variants of what is love but this is the issue: the world can only give you that which it has. If what you are looking for is the type only God can give, the world cannot and will not give it to you, no matter how much you squeeze it.
It is the world's standard to deceive by words; it is God's standard to inspire by His Word. His standard has always been about matching His Word with His acts. He claims to love us and then proved it by giving us the best gift ever: the life of His Son Jesus. That one life is the answer to all of the world's baggage. If I feel burdened by what I am asked to do, I need to check my present pursuit: is it what the Word of God has inspired or what the world has pushed me into? If I am looking to be more than just a footnote in history, I need to be sure on whose side I am on: the side only reacting to what is going on around me, or the one led by the history-making God into making impact on the earth I have been placed.
And the world knows the difference between what it offers and what God offers. That is why it tries to give you various versions of the real thing. Why does man keep pursuing God's type of love and never seems to find it in another person? It is because this love is first birthed in God, and anyone who will find it must first find God. You can't get outside of God that which God offers; if you want to know real love, go look for it in God. When you find God, you will experience the kind of love that you cannot hide or fake, because it will pour out of you. When men come at you with hatred, you flow out with that which you have, which is love. My actions will speak of the One who lives in me. My life will reflect the truth that only a life in God can have.
Guess the most important question of all, in these strange times, and as we wait for the manifestation of the promise of transformation that God promises is this: Do I know this God and the Love only He has and can give? As long as I have life, it is not too late to know this God. Know God; know His love. No God; no true love, at least the type that guarantees eternal life with God. His time of favour is here.
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