The Love of God 4
"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is Love." 1 John 4:16
The apostle John, the one who was nicknamed as one of "The Sons of Thunder," but later described himself as "The One whom Jesus Loves" writes these words when he was living in exile on the island of Patmos. Why did he write these words, why was it important for him to write them?
The definition for the word "know" is: to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to understand from experience or attainment. I believe John was writing from experience and attainment to that which was fact and truth. He knew that "God is Love." In 1 Corinthians 13;4-8 Paul gives us the definition of God's Love. Patience, kindness, content, humble, considerate, unselfish, compassionate, forgiving, loves the truth not evil, protects, trustworthy, inspires hope, perseveres and always wins (never fails). This was the love that John experienced with Jesus....and he wants us to know and experience this same love.
The definition for the word "rely" means to depend upon with confidence, complete trust! So why did John want us to "know" and "rely" upon God's love for us? It is my belief that by this point some of the apostles had already been crucified (a brutal death) and that Christians were facing persecution and horrendous torture and death. His writings from God are also timeless, meaning they are just as applicable today as they were in the 1st Century. There have been times and there will be times in our lives when we go through hardships, traumatic events, pain, suffering and heartache that will test our faith to the core, when the things and people we "rely" upon will be insufficient. It is in these times that the only thing or the only One we can rely upon is God and His Love.
I have a drug and alcohol addiction in my background and there was a time in my life when I thought I could never live without them, however God's love has transformed my life so that for over 27 years I have been clean & sober, despite hardships and traumatic events in my life. Not only that but I am enjoying life to the full. I have seen the same transformation that God has had in my life with other addictions to sex, caffeine and food, especially sugary foods. In Romans 7:14-25 Paul describes our addictions as being "a slave to sin," and that only through Jesus Christ can we be set free. So how does this tie in with the Love of God?
Over the years it has become my experience and conviction that whatever we go through in life we will either turn to "things and people" to rely upon or we will turn to God. It is also my conviction that addictions are a by-product of a lack of knowledge and reliance upon the Love of God. When we know & rely upon the Love God has for us those addictions no longer have power over us, regardless of the hardships, traumatic events and heartache we may face.
God's Love is so powerful, it transformed the apostle John's life, it is transforming my life and thousands of lives around the world today. And God's Love Never Fails.
Do you know this Love?