Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 4:11-14.

 

“¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  ¹² No one has seen God at any time;  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 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”  1 John 4:11-14.

 

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There was nothing attractive about us that made us loveable.  “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man;  though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:6-8.

 

““The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”  Deuteronomy 7:7-8.

 

“Beloved, if God so loved us (when we were “helpless”, “ungodly”, “sinners”, and otherwise unimpressive collectively), we also ought to love one another.”  Verse 11.

 

Our love for others should not be based on what others do for us or can do for us.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;  for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?  Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:43-48.

 

Rather, our love for others should be based on what God has done for us.  “God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”  Verse 12.  “He has given us of His Spirit.”  Verse 13.  “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”  Verse 14.  “… the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  Romans 5:5.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love …”  Galatians 5:22.  “We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:19.