The night before last we sat outside and enjoyed a cool evening in the yard watching our children play. I am amazed at watching wee ones. Some friends of the kids were in the neighborhood last night for the first time in many months. It is awesome how kids just receive kids and pick up as if there has never been a lapse in time. I cannot tell you how many times we have gone to a playground and watched our children make instant friends with some other child playing and immediately receive them as if they were long lost buds. They do not see social status or skin color or baggage or track records--they see at eye level, a child, a friend, a play partner. We could learn alot from them.
Tonight our associate pastor preached a sermon from 1John. 1John is all about love. 1John 4:7 says, "Beloved, let us love one another for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." Love takes on many different faces here in America and in so many ways it is distorted but 1John is really clear about it. First of all, those who are born of God will love others. But what does this love look like? He is quick to answer in 1John4:10, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation (wrath-absorbing sacrifice) for our sins. So second, we love others with Christ. He is the wrath-absorbing sacrifice for sins, God's only Son, sent that we might live through Him. Why can't we love others with that? Not this superficial, "Hey, how ya doing?" thing we call love and concern but a true abiding in Him, if God so loved us kind of love! v19, "We love because He first loved us." True love is found in Christ. Let us put on love!
The night before last we sat outside and enjoyed a cool evening in the yard watching our children play. I am amazed at watching wee ones. Some friends of the kids were in the neighborhood last night for the first time in many months. It is awesome how kids just receive kids and pick up as if there has never been a lapse in time. I cannot tell you how many times we have gone to a playground and watched our children make instant friends with some other child playing and immediately receive them as if they were long lost buds. They do not see social status or skin color or baggage or track records--they see at eye level, a child, a friend, a play partner. We could learn alot from them. 
Tonight our associate pastor preached a sermon from 1John. 1John is all about love. 1John 4:7 says, "Beloved, let us love one another for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." Love takes on many different faces here in America and in so many ways it is distorted but 1John is really clear about it. First of all, those who are born of God will love others. But what does this love look like? He is quick to answer in 1John4:10, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation (wrath-absorbing sacrifice) for our sins. So second, we love others with Christ. He is the wrath-absorbing sacrifice for sins, God's only Son, sent that we might live through Him. Why can't we love others with that? Not this superficial, "Hey, how ya doing?" thing we call love and concern but a true abiding in Him, if God so loved us kind of love! v19, "We love because He first loved us." True love is found in Christ. Let us put on love!
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