Have you ever spoken to someone who was talking to you about something and it seemed like they stayed on one topic throughout the conversation? Everything they said followed hand-in-hand with the last sentence that came out of their mouth. It is not every day that we find ourselves in these types of conversations that stay on course.
As I was reading 1 John I could not get away from the thought that this book is really a simple and straightforward book; however, it speaks extensively of love.
Over and over again John encourages loving your brother. The one who says that he is abiding in God and hates his brother is a liar, in darkness, is separated from God because to be connected to God is to love your brother. John 3:1 really stands out to me because it feels like a shout when someone notices something beautiful – behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. This is an amazing thought to have: the God of this universe is our Father. He came chasing after us. He loved us first and He loves us most. That verse does end with some tension though. The world will treat the followers of Christ the way in which it treated Christ. John 3:13 says not to be surprised if the world hates you; this goes well with John’s comparison between light and darkness. This book is a simple book that puts first things first. God is love and He is the only one that should be worshiped. If we love God we will then love those around us who we can see. If we fail to love and say that we are Christians we are walking in darkness, we are liars, and we are deceiving ourselves, but if we walk in the light as He is in the light we will have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son will cleanse us from all sin. It really struck me that God is absolutely pure.
We cannot help but see our many sinful spots as we draw nearer to the true Light. The closer we get to Jesus the more we humble ourselves because we realize what is inside of us. When we are walking in the Light it means that we are moving ahead, making progress, growing and loving.
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