September 7. 2022

Hello Advent Family,

Have you ever hurt someone that you really love and care about? It is truly an awful feeling. You leave the situation vowing to yourself that you won’t let it happen again. Of course we will all fail sometimes, that is part of our sinfulness, part of the human condition. The point is that when you really love someone you don’t ever want to hurt them. John talks about this same concept when it comes to our relationship with God. Let’s look at his words together today from I John 5.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

John says that love for God means that we strive to obey His commands. Our sin hurts God. We will fail at times but his reminder is that when we truly love God we will seek to obey Him so as not to hurt Him. Our motivation toward obedience should not come from guilt, Jesus has taken that away. It should not come from trying to earn God’s favor. Nothing we do positive or negative can change God’s love for us one iota. Our motivation to obey God should come simply because of our love for Him. May He give us all the strength to love Him more and live lives of obedience toward Him.
 
In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

 


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