"LOVE IS FROM GOD!"

1 John 4:7-21              (ESV)
"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for "LOVE IS FROM GOD", and whoever loves has been born of GOD and knows GOD.
8 Anyone who does not love does not know GOD, because GOD is love.
9 In this the love of GOD was made manifest among us, that GOD sent his only SON into the world, so that WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM.
10 In this is love, not that we have loved GOD but that HE loved us and sent his SON to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if GOD so loved us, WE ALSO OUGHT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
12 No one has ever seen GOD; if we love one another, GOD abides in us and HIS LOVE IS PERFECTED IN US.
13 By this we know that we abide in HIM and HE in us, because HE has given us of HIS SPIRIT.
14 And we have seen and testify that the FATHER has sent HIS SON to be the SAVIOR of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that JESUS is the SON of GOD, GOD abides in him, and he in GOD.
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that GOD has for us. GOD is love, and whoever abides in love abides in GOD, and GOD abides in HIM.
17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as HE is so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
19 WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.
20 If anyone says, "I love GOD," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love GOD whom he has not seen.
21 And this commandment we have from HIM: whoever loves GOD must also love his brother."




Sitting awake at 2AM in my recliner is NOT my idea of a good night?  But GOD sometimes has to put me in a place where all I can do is listen to HIM. Scanning through my social media sites it seems all I see is people talking about what's wrong with America and nothing about how great our Country is?  Sure, we aren't perfect, far from it!  But we are still the brightest beacon of HOPE in the world!  THE ENEMY wants us to focus on everything THAT IS BAD, when GOD is SPIRITUALLY withholding evil so magnificently that we should be praising HIS NAME!!

We CANNOT LOVE EACH OTHER unless we first LOVE JESUS CHRIST, WHO was sent into "this world" to provide a salvation Plan for all!  Some people will not accept that JESUS is GOD's SON and that HE is the ONLY WAY to Heaven (John 14:6), but we must love them also. Even those who HATE us (Luke 6:27-36) we are COMMANDED to love by JESUS HIMSELF!  Since GOD is LOVE (v16), and JESUS and the FATHER are ONE (John 10:30), when we have JESUS living in us we should be unable to do anything but LOVE!

But loving people DOES NOT mean that we love all of their acts!  Sinful acts, even those committed by me, are to be hated so much that FIRST OF ALL we abstain from them personally.  And whenever others display a lifestyle of "bad fruit" (Matthew 7:15-23) need to hear what road they are traveling, and where that road will lead them!  But even though some will choose to travel the "broad way" (Matthew 7:13), we are still to love them and pray for them that their eyes will be opened and they experience the same grace we have!

There are those who have NO desire to be changed by the SPIRIT of GOD.  It can be frustrating to see even those who are convinced they are on the right path living their lives in a manner that glorifies maybe some "good things", but hardly ever mention glorifying GOD ALMIGHTY!  We cannot skirt the issue.  "LOVE IS FROM GOD", and if we sow LOVE we will reap LOVE!  If we sow hate, discord, and strife, THE PRAYING FOR CROP FAILURE WILL NOT BE AN OPTION!  However we need to remember that "GOD's chief attribute" is not LOVE, HIS chief attribute is HOLINESS!  We must demonstrate HOLINESS so that HE can display that "LOVE IS FROM GOD"!!!