Oh wow, I am loving 1John 4 and the wonderful things I am finding for my spirit in that chapter this week. I know this is a week of preparation for the repentance weekend just ahead, but I also know in my spirit that repentance is strongly motivated by God’s love for us. How can we abide in God’s love and not feel godly sorrow for anything that might turn us away from that love?
So, I guess that is why God’s Holy Spirit led me (drove me?) to 1John 4. Listen to John’s words for this Tuesday morning.
“God’s love was revealed to us this way. God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” [1John 4:9-10 HCSB]
God loved us and revealed His love to us by sending His Precious Unique Son into this world so that we might live through Him. He loved us first before we ever knew Him or desired to know Him. He loved us while we were still in our sins, dirty, broken and lost. He loved us while we were His enemies, shaking our fists in His face and shouting at Him to leave us alone and let us do it “our way!”
He loved us enough to die for us. He loved us enough to shed His blood on an ugly wooden cross, naked, forsaken, beaten and broken. He reconciled and covered our sin. He removed our transgressions far from us. He loved us.
Now anything, anything, that comes between us … my arrogant attitudes, pride, failings or faults, must be driven far from me through confession and repentance … because I cannot allow anything in me to threaten my awareness of that wonderful truth … God loves me.
This is one Terrific Tuesday! Amen.