Not that we loved Him
I have read 1 John countless times, but today the Lord made me stop and think at verse 10 of chapter 4.
~1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Never do I recall meditating on "not that we loved God". In all honesty, I cannot say that I ever hated the Lord. I have always had a thirst and love for Him, being that I was raised by a Godly mother, for which I am most thankful. On the flip side, I have disobeyed the Lord many a-times before, and unfortunately, still do. I have come to admit that repetitive disobedience is NOT love.
~John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
~John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Not that I loved God. How true, I never loved the Lord enough to do as He did. He sacrificed His only and begotten Son to be the atoning sacrifice for my sins; I, the recipient of such Grace, who so often disobeys and betrays the Word of God.
Actions really do speak louder than words, and the Lord, He proved His love by doing something that I don’t believe our human minds will ever fully comprehend what truly took place on the cross of Calvary.
But that’s just it, we may not have loved Him, but He loved us. John 3:16 – Herein is love.
~1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Never do I recall meditating on "not that we loved God". In all honesty, I cannot say that I ever hated the Lord. I have always had a thirst and love for Him, being that I was raised by a Godly mother, for which I am most thankful. On the flip side, I have disobeyed the Lord many a-times before, and unfortunately, still do. I have come to admit that repetitive disobedience is NOT love.
~John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
~John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Not that I loved God. How true, I never loved the Lord enough to do as He did. He sacrificed His only and begotten Son to be the atoning sacrifice for my sins; I, the recipient of such Grace, who so often disobeys and betrays the Word of God.
Actions really do speak louder than words, and the Lord, He proved His love by doing something that I don’t believe our human minds will ever fully comprehend what truly took place on the cross of Calvary.
But that’s just it, we may not have loved Him, but He loved us. John 3:16 – Herein is love.
posted by Redeemed @ 8:45 PM
5 Comments:
At Friday, September 01, 2006 3:35:00 AM,
Matthew Celestine said…
Too often people think of loving God as an emotional thing.
No, it is keeping His commandments.
Many Christians are far too quick to talk about how much they love God.
Nothing we do can compare with the love of the Lord.
God Bless
Matthew
At Friday, September 01, 2006 10:54:00 AM,
Redeemed said…
Barbara, thank you for being so kind!
Very true, Matthew. Jesus Christ is very clear with John 14:15; if we love Him, we obey His commandments.
At Friday, September 01, 2006 12:46:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Similar thought line, I have always thought that praise and worship should focus on God - on who He is mainly then what He does and His love for us, instead of focusing on our mushy feelings. What do you guys think?
At Friday, September 01, 2006 2:18:00 PM,
Matthew Celestine said…
Shieryl, I totally agree.
At Friday, September 01, 2006 7:21:00 PM,
Redeemed said…
Absolutely, Shieryl. When we truly love the Lord Jesus, we abide and fellowship with Him. Mushy feelings go out the window, besides, they never last too long.
Post a Comment
<< Home