1 John 3:18 NIV
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
I need to determine if this verse applies to me or not. One sure way to do that is to know if I am a child, or I am part of the crowd. The verse above is addressed to those who John referred to as children. He must have a relationship with them, in order to refer to them as such. They also must have accepted his leadership and authority in order to respond the right way to his instructions and counsel. There is really no expectation from the crowd. You have no control over the choices, direction, energy or decisions of the crowd, because they hold no allegiance to you. You cannot limit the excesses of the crowd, or spell out terms and conditions for those who are not under your authority. You can only do that to children; people who are simple enough to be corrected, and also humble enough to keep striving to grow the right way.
The question then, is to define my identity. That will help me with the rest of the verse. Children love. That is the simplest way to put it. You cannot explain the way a child just trusts you, and counts on you to keep your word. The love a child has is simple, and is based on, and strengthened by the power of trust and relationships. As it is in the physical, of course, so is it in the spiritual. As a child of God, I am confident in the love of God for me, and I am therefore able to flow out with that same heart to other people. A child, in his/her pure form, has no pretence or hypocrisy, or even eye-service. Once a child trusts you, it is easy to get the child to depend on you. Can I say, of a truth, that I am a child of God? It is not about just knowing and speaking the language of the church. Anyone can do so. What matters is that the Father knows that I am His child.
As His child, I reflect his name and character. Because He is love, I am also expected to love the same way. The crowd can pretend; the crowd can deceive, but the child must not. I cannot afford to pay lip-service to the practice and principle of love, in line with God's will. I cannot define love the way it suits me, and I must not settle for all the cheap versions that are becoming popular these days. The real version is found in the person of Love Himself, who is Jesus. I must come to, and stay in Him, if I am to experience and be able to exhibit the real deal. Love is not first an act, but a person. If I will have and know love, I must find myself in Jesus. That connection is critical to the product. You cannot give what you do not have. To show love, I must have love. No pretence, no hypocrisy, just simply depending on God the Father to enable me as His child show him off by my conversation, conduct and company. Am I His child? God's time of favour is here.
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