Know Love
Week 4 - Friday
September 11, 2020 • Sara
I grew up in a time and a place where WWJD? ("What would Jesus do?") bracelets were popular. There were so many of them in my day it spawned parodies and became almost cliche. But, at the heart of it, it’s a great question to ask in any situation. What would Jesus do? Would He have reached across a political aisle to love people with different opinions? Indeed. Would He have welcomed broken people and shown grace without watering down the God breathed truth of Scripture? Of course. But how do we actually live like Jesus? Third John 11 says, “Dear friend, do not imitate what is bad but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does what is bad has not seen God.” It sounds relatively easy on the surface, but the world has a funny way of blurring boundaries. What’s superficially nice is not necessarily kind. What initially seems appropriate may be popularity or political correctness in disguise. Thankfully (and as usual), Scripture helps us. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.” Galatians 5:22-23 also gives instruction on where we can focus our energy and what virtues the Holy Spirit can cultivate in our lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” We can’t imitate God’s power, His omnipotence, or His eternal presence, but we have the perfect example of goodness - and godliness - in Jesus. C.S. Lewis wrote about this beautifully in his work The Four Loves, saying, “our imitation of God in this life — that is, our willed imitation as distinct from any of the likenesses which He has impressed upon our natures or states — must be an imitation of God incarnate: our model is the Jesus, not only of Calvary, but of the workshop, the roads, the crowds, the clamorous demands and surly oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the interruptions. For this, so strangely unlike anything we can attribute to the Divine life in itself, is apparently not only like, but is, the Divine life operating under human conditions.” We won’t ever be perfect, but we should fight and pray and practice to be His true apprentice. May the world see a glimpse of the goodness of our living God and of the hope of Heaven in our lives. -Sara
Week 4 - Thursday
September 10, 2020
Week 4 - Wednesday
September 9, 2020 • Brittany
“I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to truth.” 3 John 4 A few years ago, a college mentor reached out to me after having not been in contact for years. We had been incredibly close during my undergraduate experience, but life happened. I moved away, got married, had a family, and after over a decade of living in different states - aside from a Christmas card and an occasional email - we no longer talked regularly. Every couple of years we’d catch up on all the big happenings in our life, and I’d find myself again soaking up her wisdom. One day, after one of our catch-up sessions, I opened up an email from her and saw these life-giving words, “I am so proud of the way you’re choosing to live your life.” Tears brimmed my eyes and spilled over onto my cheeks as those words, rich with the love of a mentor, spoke life over me. She viewed her guidance, her discipleship, and sacrifice of time and resources as an investment of love into my life. And because of her love of the Lord and love for me, all these years later I am still walking with the Lord (imperfectly) but striving to live my life in a way that is according to truth. I love how Jesus’s words in the Great Commission tell us that, as we go, we’re called to make disciples, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I [our heavenly Father] have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Third John 4 shows us the beauty that comes from obeying the Great Commission: “I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are living according to truth.” There is a pure joy in knowing your work for the kingdom has produced good fruit. There is deep satisfaction knowing the work we’re doing today, the love we’re sharing with others, will one day take root and grow something faithful and true. Because isn’t that the way of the disciple? To know the deep riches of God’s love, to have been shown and taught it during our early years of our faith, to allow it to transform our lives into something beautiful – and then to one day be the one who takes the hand of a younger person in their faith and help them navigate the joys and heartaches of this life? To be a disciple of Jesus is to also be a disciple maker – and that is a good and life-giving calling, worthy of our utmost attention. Years later, I am now modeling the relationship I had with my mentor. Over cups of coffee and open Bibles, I meet with college girls in my church. We talk about life, sin, relationships, career choices – you name it! Sometimes we talk specifically about Scripture, other times we share about what’s going on with our lives. And I often walk away praying, “Father, keep her close to you. Let these moments not return void. Help her see your great love for her and allow it to change her life forever.” I don’t yet have the satisfaction of seeing the fruit God grows in their life, but what I do know is this: the great love God has called us to is one I can’t keep to myself. And I am confident in this, the one who began a good work in them, will complete it (Philippians 1:6). And I look forward to the day where I can send them an email and say, “I am so proud of the way you’re choosing to live your life” -Brittany
Week 4 - Tuesday
September 8, 2020
Week 4 - Monday
September 7, 2020 • Ebos
“(Now this is love: that we walk according to his commandments.) This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning; thus you should walk in it.” - 2 John 6 This is one of the most interesting and captivating aspect of Scripture to me; it’s simple and clear. Any child of God or person who wants to know God only has to pick up the Bible and ask God to show them His way. It has never been God’s intention for His children to “struggle” or “strive” endlessly and painfully to know Him, to know what He desires for us, or to have a relationship with Him. This is all carefully and succinctly outlined in Scripture for anyone to glean. And Scripture tells us that to love this awesome and magnificent God all we have to do is obey. 2 John 6 is telling us if we claim to know God and want to truly love Him, then the way to love God is to obey Him. Obedience is love. That is God’s formula. The evidence of my love for Him is my obedience to Him. This means obeying Him when it is easy, when it is hard, when we do not understand, and when we do. Total, complete, prompt obedience. I know first hand what it means and how it feels to obey God when we do not understand, when it is excruciatingly hard. I have come to understand and enjoy that, with each act of obedience, my relationship and fellowship with God deepens and it makes hardship more than worth it. The world will know you are truly His child and that you love Him when they see you daily obeying God’s Word. Dear Father, thank You for the gift of Your word which keeps me in line with Your purposes for my life. Today, I ask for the grace to always obey You. No matter the situation or circumstances, I want to always do Your will, so please help me, in Jesus name. Amen. -Ebos Week 4 Challenge: Who are some people in your life who demonstrate faithfulness? What types of things do they do for the church? What can you do to support them this week? Take action this week to support those in your life who are the hands and feet of Jesus and who demonstrate great faithfulness.
Week 3 - Friday
September 4, 2020 • Kelli
There’s no denying the power of truth. The word truth is spoken five times in the first four verses of 2 John. The foundation of our faith is completely based on truth, and we see this in John 8:32, which says, "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." As a mother, I can attest to the joy that fills my own heart when my children are living according to the truth. It's always a joy to see a believer rise up and live according to truth, but there's something extra sweet about seeing the ones you have personally discipled live according to Gods Word. I believe we see this same sentiment in 2 John 4, as John described his feelings in seeing believers live aligned with God's commands: he greatly rejoiced. There's one particular word that sticks out to me in this passage: some. John says, "I rejoiced greatly because I have found some of your children living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded us" (2 John 4). This implies not all who were presented with the truth were living accordingly. If this doesn't serve as a wake-up call I don't know what does. What a frightening reality this is. This is truly something we must be on our knees about, daily. One thing I know to be true, even through dealing with infidelity, divorce, and single motherhood is I am a more fierce and focused mom today than I was before the break up of my family. The devastation brought on my family gave me an opportunity to rise up and get serious about the salvation of my children. I could no longer assume anything was safe and off limits to the enemy. Not that I wasn't serious about it before, but it's a whole other level when you experience an attack like that on your family. Not only did the devil mess with the wrong mama, but my children are fierce prayer warriors today and they have seen with their own eyes the provision and the goodness of God in our lives as we have risen up of out of the ashes. What was meant for destruction, the Lord has and continues to use for good and His glory. This is truth. Truth is all I had to cling to in those dark days, and it's what I cling to today as I navigate my new life. (It also helps to turn up worship music louder than my thoughts!) The battle for our minds is real, y'all! For every lie that entered my mind, for every temptation that seemed to feel right in the moment, it was truth that would set me free. Disappointment is the playground the enemy loves to play in to trip us up. But it's in those seasons of loss, grief, and disappointment that we need to grab hold of Gods truth even tighter and live like we believe it. We can't afford to passively be in agreement with truth or have it tucked away in our minds from childhood. We must believe it and live it, today. While the house was on the market, the kids and I prayed every single night and declared that although we didn't know where we would be moving when the house sold, we believed the Lord had a good plan for us. We took the Word of God (Romans 8:28, Galatians 6:9, Jeremiah 29:11) and spoke His promises over us and believed Him at His Word. We could have easily sat in doubt and fear, but we chose to trust God. Satan's greatest desire is to lead us astray and to get us to question the values and truths we hold dear. Our house sold at the perfect time, and to this day my kids and I are blown away by what God did for us. In fact, it was my seven-year-old son that said it first: "Mom, when we were waiting for our house to sell, God was building us a house." Cue the tears. I don't think I've experienced a greater moment than when my own son gave credit to God for what He did in that season for us. If seeing believers abide in truth made John rejoice, can you even imagine how much rejoicing goes on in heaven on our behalf when we live in truth and love and mercy and grace? Lord, thank You for Your truth. Thank You for being near to the brokenhearted. Thank You for the plans You have for us that keep us out of harm's way. Your Word is truth and may the truth of Your Word ring in the ears of all who need You and need to be reminded of who You are today. -Kelli
Week 3 - Thursday
September 3, 2020
Week 3 - Wednesday
September 2, 2020 • Kelli
There’s no denying the power of truth. The word truth is spoken five times in the first four verses of 2 John. The foundation of our faith is completely based on truth, and we see this in John 8:32, which says, "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." As a mother, I can attest to the joy that fills my own heart when my children are living according to the truth. It's always a joy to see a believer rise up and live according to truth, but there's something extra sweet about seeing the ones you have personally discipled live according to Gods Word. I believe we see this same sentiment in 2 John 4, as John described his feelings in seeing believers live aligned with God's commands: he greatly rejoiced. There's one particular word that sticks out to me in this passage: some. John says, "I rejoiced greatly because I have found some of your children living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded us" (2 John 4). This implies not all who were presented with the truth were living accordingly. If this doesn't serve as a wake-up call I don't know what does. What a frightening reality this is. This is truly something we must be on our knees about, daily. One thing I know to be true, even through dealing with infidelity, divorce, and single motherhood is I am a more fierce and focused mom today than I was before the break up of my family. The devastation brought on my family gave me an opportunity to rise up and get serious about the salvation of my children. I could no longer assume anything was safe and off limits to the enemy. Not that I wasn't serious about it before, but it's a whole other level when you experience an attack like that on your family. Not only did the devil mess with the wrong mama, but my children are fierce prayer warriors today and they have seen with their own eyes the provision and the goodness of God in our lives as we have risen up of out of the ashes. What was meant for destruction, the Lord has and continues to use for good and His glory. This is truth. Truth is all I had to cling to in those dark days, and it's what I cling to today as I navigate my new life. (It also helps to turn up worship music louder than my thoughts!) The battle for our minds is real, y'all! For every lie that entered my mind, for every temptation that seemed to feel right in the moment, it was truth that would set me free. Disappointment is the playground the enemy loves to play in to trip us up. But it's in those seasons of loss, grief, and disappointment that we need to grab hold of Gods truth even tighter and live like we believe it. We can't afford to passively be in agreement with truth or have it tucked away in our minds from childhood. We must believe it and live it, today. While the house was on the market, the kids and I prayed every single night and declared that although we didn't know where we would be moving when the house sold, we believed the Lord had a good plan for us. We took the Word of God (Romans 8:28, Galatians 6:9, Jeremiah 29:11) and spoke His promises over us and believed Him at His Word. We could have easily sat in doubt and fear, but we chose to trust God. Satan's greatest desire is to lead us astray and to get us to question the values and truths we hold dear. Our house sold at the perfect time, and to this day my kids and I are blown away by what God did for us. In fact, it was my seven-year-old son that said it first: "Mom, when we were waiting for our house to sell, God was building us a house." Cue the tears. I don't think I've experienced a greater moment than when my own son gave credit to God for what He did in that season for us. If seeing believers abide in truth made John rejoice, can you even imagine how much rejoicing goes on in heaven on our behalf when we live in truth and love and mercy and grace? Lord, thank You for Your truth. Thank You for being near to the brokenhearted. Thank You for the plans You have for us that keep us out of harm's way. Your Word is truth and may the truth of Your Word ring in the ears of all who need You and need to be reminded of who You are today. -Kelli
Week 3 - Tuesday
September 1, 2020
Week 3 - Monday
August 31, 2020 • Angela
And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him. - 1 John 4:16 We have the capacity to love well, to love deeply, to love sacrificially because that is how God loves us: completely. We can do this. I know it can seem impossible in the day in which we live but we must remember that nothing is impossible with God. He is a master at turning what was once considered impossible into reality. When we choose to become more like Christ and less like ourselves we must grow in our ability to become more loving. God is love; that is who He is. He is our model for how we need to live our lives. We love because He first loved us. - 1 John 5:19 God’s love is in us. That means we are equipped to love others the way He calls us to love them. It is not something we have to muster up ourselves. God has lovingly given His love to us so we can lovingly give it away. God’s love is a gift meant to be re-gifted. When we choose to love others, we choose to be more like Christ, and one by one our world becomes a better place. Mother Teresa is known for saying, “If you want to change the world, go home, and love your family.” I couldn’t agree more. Forget what you are being told by the media. Learn to guard your heart and your mind. Filter what you are seeing, hearing, and feeling with God’s Word. Satan is the master deceiver and his aim is our destruction. He will try to cause disunity, division, fear, and hatred, but you know his tactics. Stand strong against his attacks and be wise to his ways. Instead, don’t allow your mind and heart to be easily swayed. Choose instead to love well. You be the bridge of love that connects people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and languages. You be the one who reaches out because God has reached out to you. You can do this because God has already done it for you. The one who resides in love resides in God and God resides in him. What a powerful promise to keep close to our hearts at this time. Reside in God’s love. Don’t feel like you can love others the way God is calling you to? You’re right, you can’t. You have to abide in Him. God is love. You have to draw your love and strength from God. He is the only one who can give you the love that penetrates boundaries, destroys hatred, and crosses lines. You can do this, but you can’t do it without Jesus. Sisters, now is our time to show a watching world what it means to rise up and love the way we were created to love. Now is the time to love with God’s love. This is only an impossible task if you don’t reside in God’s love. Love without expecting anything in return. Love extravagantly. Love fully. Love because God first loved you. And remember, “greater is He who is in me than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Jesus is greater. Sweet sister, with God’s love in you, you can do what may feel impossible. Choose to love. Choose to live your life characterized by His love. Love God Greatly, Angela Week 3 Challenge: This week, think of someone in your life with whom you can share the testimony of Jesus (1 John 5:11-12). Who in your life needs to hear this truth? Ask God to give you a clear opportunity this week to share your faith with this person, and ask Him for boldness to share when the time arises.
Week 2 - Friday
August 28, 2020 • Kaitlyn
I was busy preparing for Bible study—arranging comfy chairs, lighting a scented candle, laying out our curriculum—when I was overcome with love for the women in my group. We are a small group of women in our 20s and 30s. Some of us are working corporate jobs and some of us are in graduate school. Some of us are married and some of us are single. Some of us have been Christians our whole lives and some of us just recently met Jesus. Our time together is so sweet to me, and these women have taught me how to love God with my whole life. Later that night, a woman shared that she was going to be moving soon and did not know how she was going to pack up her house, move heavy furniture, and unpack at her new place. I’m ashamed to admit that my first thought was, “Someone else can do that.” I am busy with work and school; my schedule barely has room for me to get my own annoying home tasks finished! As the room around me heartily offered to help this woman move, I realized how shallow and phony my earlier love really was. Love requires action. We cannot say we love other people and then refuse to serve them, sacrifice for them, and seek their flourishing. In our passage today, John gave us a sweeping and radical picture of what real love looks like. When he said everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God, he meant only God can give His children the ability to love others with truly self-sacrificing love. In our brokenness and sinfulness, we cannot love each other this way. We will be selfish with our relationships, seeking our own gain and disregarding the needs of others. But God gives us the Holy Spirit to indwell us and guide us to love each other with a radically selfless love. 1 John reminds us we cannot love each other like this on our own. True love is not in our love of each other or even our love of God, but in God’s love for us. God’s love required action too: He sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. This is the ultimate expression of true love. God could have expressed merely hypothetical love for us, feeling warm feelings about his broken creation from far away in heaven. He could have kept his distance, sending prophets to tell us He loved us without promising to do anything about our desperate situation. That is not the true love God has for us. He was not content to leave us in our suffering and brokenness, our evil and sin. His love was action, and that action was making the ultimate sacrifice for our sake. As God has loved us, we are called to love each other. The world around us often only knows a selfish and greedy form of love: people who only spend time with you when it’s convenient for them, who only give as much as they can expect back, who want to have fun but flee when things are hard. Our love for each other—selfless, generous, active love—is a powerful witness to the world. For people hungry for real love, we can show a glimpse of the love God has shown us, and then we can introduce them to the greatest love of all. -Kaitlyn
Week 2 - Thursday
August 27, 2020
Week 2 - Wednesday
August 26, 2020 • Crystal
Have you ever read anything about love languages, or spent some time figuring out how you prefer to receive love? When my husband and I were going through our pre-marital counseling we took a test to see what our love languages were. Over the past fourteen years of marriage I can assure you, the results were very correct. And very opposite. I am a “gifts” and “words of affirmation” gal, while he is “physical touch” and “acts of service.” He watches in wonder as I make birthdays and gift-giving holidays come to life, while I sit back in amazement as he and our daughter snuggle up together constantly. A task like emptying the dishwasher is, for me, simply something that needs to get done. Taking out the trash or coming home to a clean kitchen is, for him, an act of love. Our eight-year-old daughter seems to lean toward “quality time” as her main love language and she will tell us, repeatedly, how much fun she’s having when the three of us do something new or fun together. Loving other people well means using more than just our words, but our actions and imitating the love of our amazing God who knows how to love us perfectly. Our verses today in 1 John remind us that we love not only by the words we say, but by our actions and the truth we believe. John is writing this letter to call believers back to the basics of faith. His focus is truth, not opinion, and he points his reader back to the most important commandment that Jesus gave to us: love God and love others. John addresses his audience as “little children,” a phrase he uses seven times in his letter. It’s not meant to be demeaning, but affectionate and reminiscent of the upside down kingdom of God where what is low becomes raised up. In Luke 10:21 Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit that God hides things from the wise and reveals it to little children. In Mark 10:14 Jesus encourages his disciples to allow the little children to come to Him, for the kingdom of God belongs to them. John writes with the tenderness and truth of a father to his children, or a pastor to his congregation. When we have surrendered our lives to Christ, believing He alone is the Savior for the world, we are able to live in obedience to Him. As we become grounded in our faith, our desire to please Him and follow His commands flows out of our love for Him. When we recognize His love for us, we are able to love and care for fellow believers and the world around us. Faith in Christ, obedience to His commands, and love for others are all central aspects of our walk with Christ. Our assurance comes as we grow closer to Him and continually surrender our lives and hearts to Him. They will know we are Christians by our love. A love that isn’t limited by love languages or personality tests, but comes from the overflow of a heart that abides closely with Jesus. When we put our faith into action through our obedience to God, the result is love. We love because He first loved us, and when we imitate God’s example we can love others well, drawing them into a deeper relationship with the One who loved us when we were still an unlovely mess. -Crystal
Week 2 - Tuesday
August 25, 2020
Week 2 - Monday
August 24, 2020 • Julie
It’s often said that newborn babies are more likely to look like their dads than their mums. This seems a little unfair given all that the mums have gone through! In today’s reading the apostle John wrote to fellow believers, and he again affectionately described them as little children. John’s desire is that, as God’s children, they’d look like their heavenly Father! In our readings last week, John was concerned that these believers would be deceived by false teachers. This led to John’s plea in 1 John 2:28 that they would remain in God. John took them forward to think of Jesus’s wonderful return and saw two possible responses: confidence in Christ or shrinking away in shame. When we become Christians we’re born again, born spiritually and adopted as children of God (see also John 1:12-13). We reside with God, and His tender father-like care and guidance changes us. John emphasizes that, because of the Father’s love, we can be sure we are God’s children, both now and for eternity! How amazing! John continued by saying there is even more to come – what we will be has not yet been fully revealed. We will be made like Christ! These blessings are not earned but graciously given to those who believe. Therefore, the everyday lives of those who know the lavish love of their heavenly Father, are transformed. God’s love overflows, from Him - to us – and on to those around us. This should be visible. As our future hope is secure in God we can: live lives of purity, practice righteousness (behavior that pleases God), focus on God, and love our fellow Christians. The love the early church had for one another was a fantastic witness to the world around them. What about our love, our doing good, for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ? We aren’t perfect yet, so we must also remember 1 John 2:1-2 that if we do sin, Jesus is our advocate and atoning sacrifice. While we often make mistakes, living for God often becomes easier with practice. I’ve never been a runner, but I joined a group in January undertaking a nine-week running program to go from no running at all, to running 5km (around 3 miles). It involves three runs a week. The first week I struggled to complete the one-minute run. By practicing with others, getting comfortable running shoes and receiving some helpful instruction, I’ve been able to complete it! This is also true for our Christian lives. What we practice - either righteous living or sin – changes where we will be in our walk with God: enjoying fellowship with Him; or, seeking to hide from Him. I love my kids dearly, even when they do something wrong or hurtful. There are consequences, but my love for them never wavers. Yet with God I can be plagued with thoughts like "How could God still love me if I am still struggling with this sin or have fallen again?" This causes me to want to withdraw and hide from Him. Yet, our heavenly Father cherishes us as dearly loved children. If we humbly confess our sin to Him, seeking His grace and mercy, He will forgive and transform us. There is a danger of misreading 1 John 3:6-9 to say if we ever sin we aren’t God’s children. While it is true God’s children are shown by their actions, John highlighted that the change in our desires is our desire for sin or for righteousness. Before becoming Christians, our sinfulness didn't upset us the same way it does now. But now, through the work of the Holy Spirit, God reveals our sinfulness, graciously bit by bit, and He gives us the strength to live transformed lives. We cannot be happy to keep on sinning when God reveals our sinfulness. This is also why our heavenly Father lovingly gives us instructions in the Bible: they are for our good. Just as my children need boundaries to live freely, so do we as God’s children. Our perfect Heavenly Father, who made us, knows what is best for us, even when we cannot see it. He sees danger where we don’t. He tells us how we can live in community with others. He is working out His plans and purposes, even through us! How great is our God! Surely, we should want to respond to all our loving heavenly Father has done for us by desiring to live lives that please and reflect Him. How much do you look like your heavenly Father? Week 2 Challenge: Take extra time this week to observe and interpret 1 John 3:19-20. How does our conscience condemn us? What does Romans 8:1-4 say about this? How do these truths affect what you believe about grace?