1 John 4:19-20 KJV
[19] We love him, because he first loved us. [20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
As it has been emphasised several times, the audience defines the message, as well as the expectations. If you will command anything out of anyone, the solution is to first establish the conditions precedent to that instruction. As we have also said several times, you cannot give what you do not have; a man can only supply to you that which he has taken time to store up. John, who wrote this letter, made it clear he was an eyewitness to the amazing Word of Life, and it was the lessons and impact of that encounter that John wanted to pass on to his audience. Reflect on the confidence John had in the Truth that he had encountered, and you know that it is the same confidence that all who come to the saving knowledge of Jesus also have access to. Let it be clear: salvation is the key to all of the amazing treasures available in and through Jesus.
It is the Love of God that drew up salvation's plans. An immortal God thought of making such daring plans: to send His own Son in the likeness of those who were helpless and could not pay the price for sin, so that by His Son, the full price of sin could be settled once and for all. Interestingly, at the time this plan was put in motion, I was not even born, yet God made the offer in anticipation of the need and making sure I had the opportunity to respond one way or another. Reflect on this: it was not guaranteed that I would accept His offer, yet God made it all the same. The offer also stands for all of time, until grace is fully withdrawn. Even though God is Omniscient, and knows that some will reject the gift of love to the end of their lives, yet, for those who would accept the gift, and maximise it by bringing others to that same experience, God considered it worthwhile to give His Son in this way. Oh, what love!
In that same expression of appreciation for what we have received lies a warning for that which is ahead. What we have received from God has become a duty that we must now live out on a daily. That which I have now enables me to extend grace to other people. I am able to love others because I have personally experienced the right example. That is why hating a human being is a waste of precious time and too much emotional baggage. How can you receive God's love and it will not have an impact on how you see others? How can those who see me not be able to testify to a change inside of me? If all I have is mouth confession as a Christian, and it not also accompanied by a matching life profession, it means I still have a lot to learn. I start from that which I can see, and ask God for grace to see what is invisible, so I can attain the eternal. Do you know this God of love? Have you met Him? Has He met you? God's time of favour is here.
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