Lord's Day Devotion - Love Is Our Family Trait

 Puns are fun.  Here's one...

"Just found out the company that produces yardsticks won't be making them any longer."

Hmmm.  Think on that a sec or two.  Ha, ha.  No doubt you 'get it'.

I'll take the more serious measure here.  It's imperative to have a standard that is inalterable for things that count, especially when it relates to things of God.

For instance, God's love; it never changes.  His love is the same yesterday, today and forever because He is LOVE (see Hebrews 13:8 and 1 John 4:8).  

"We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

God's love is unfailing and unfailingly takes action.  His love standard is that He sent Jesus to demonstrate what His love is like - so we would know.

"Jesus Christ laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16). [emphasis mine]

In the book of James we read that faith and works or actions work together.  The actions show the faith is real.  Faith and love work similarly in tandem.

Since God has shown His children what love will do and has been done, on our behalf, God expects His children to follow suit.  After all, we call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ.  We need to follow.  So...

"We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:16).

Loving our brothers and sisters-in-Christ is a family trait.  The measure of this love is to go those extra miles even to the point of laying down our lives for the brethren and 'sistern'.

"...for love comes from God" (1 John 4:7).

This is our standard trait:  faith plus love.

Think of the first believers and all our brothers and sisters since who were persecuted for their faith, showing love one for another and also for the unsaved.  In the book of Acts we see the believers sold their possessions to help care for the poor and had all things in common (see Acts 2:42-47).  The various churches, as seen in Paul's letters, gave monetary help to those in Jerusalem and elsewhere even out of their own lack.  They were also encouraged to be sure to clothe and feed those hungry and without proper apparel and not to just greet them offhandedly, "be warmed and fed" and then go off on their merry way without doing anything to help them be warmed and fed (Acts 21:1-19; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:8-15; 9:12-13).

Additionally, in present times I know of a sister who broke her arm and it was not healing properly.  She endured about six months of extreme pain and immobility.  Brothers and sisters from her church made sure she and her hubby were well fed when her own children were unable to help out.   Some even came to clean house.

Another story I know of that demonstrated the love via the body of Christ was one family whose baby had suddenly been diagnosed with leukemia.  They had to take their wee daughter to another major city for treatment.  They did not know many people there.  But, somehow the connections of God's family, brothers and sisters, showed up, as if out of the woodwork, giving accommodation, donating blood, food, transport, saying prayers and so on.  It totally amazed and warmed the aching hearts of the baby's parents.  This was true love of God in action between brothers and sisters-in-Christ.  Praise be to the One who died for us!

Reading this book of 1 John and feeling his tone of love, kindness and encouragement despite admonishment, we can see John putting his talk into walk.  An aura of God's love permeates his letter.

As John talks of being eyewitnesses (see 1 John 1:1-4), of having seen, heard and to have touched Jesus as He trod this earth, it is all this that he and the other apostles have been proclaiming.   Nothing more, nothing less; they did not alter the truth.

He further states that the

"anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth" (1 John 2:20)

is what should remain in them.  It is the same message of love and truth, that they

"had from the beginning" (1 John 2:24).  

This should remain in them.  They should not be derailed by false teachers.  This yardstick of God's love and care needs to be shown out to the brothers and sisters-in-Christ.  This is how others will know they are of and from God.  The Holy Ones'

"anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in Him" (1 John 2:27).

They did not need others to teach them anything different.  They needed to continue on in the love of God.  Faith and works going hand-in-hand with faith and the love of God together; this is how they, and we too, know we belong to the family of God.

"Let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7).

As we remember God's supreme act of love this Lord's Day, that act of Jesus laying down His life for us; ponder well on this family trait of LOVE.  Do you have it?

Do what it takes to show this love in action to all our brothers and sisters-in-Christ.  God's love is unselfish and goes out of the way to give.

Pass and partake of the broken bread and drink from the cup of wine in remembrance of Jesus' act of love.  Let us each realize and understand what Jesus the Son of God has given.  Know Him.  Know His action of love.  Learn from Him.

Then we can put His love into action too.  Let all men know you are of God as you are His child who inherited the family trait of LOVE.  Let it show.

                                                 ~ ERC  July 2023 ~

Based on 1 John.

Sing, Behold What Manner of Love, along with Maranatha Singers.

.