I, II, III John

I, II, III John

 

            When Divan and I were engaged we did premarital counseling and had to fill out a questionnaire before we started.  One of the questions I had to think about was "How does your partner make it known that they love you?" (or something to that effect.)  My answer still remains the same:  no matter how the temperature is in our marriage, Divan always gives me the first bite of his food and the last. J  This is love.  In these letters that John wrote later in his life, he shares a message of love.  I counted this word at least 51 times and the phrase "love one another" is mentioned fat least six of those times.  A few weeks ago Pastor Scott preached about I John and how we can radically live as Christians through love.  John's message is the same to the churches that faced opposition, false teachers, and a feeling of end times…kinda like today too. 

 

            The message that the Church knew from the beginning was this message of love.  And John said, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (I John 3:16)  Love = Christ.  This is the message!  This is the answer!  This is love….it is through the gift and sacrifice of Christ's death on the cross.  We cannot claim for profess to be a follower of God if we do not love.  I was challenged by this message in the last two days and it hit me an hour ago.  This is what John was talking about.  Divan and I are in NM for the week spending time with family and friends.  I heard a story from a close friend about someone who wronged her and it angers me so much.  I struggle with loving this person.  It's so so hard.  But it was like a slap in the face this morning as I reread this passage that this it's the whole point of following Christ.  It's love.  It's a joint package.  The two come together.  I know I must love and pray for this person because they are a child of God too. 

 

            One of my all time favorite verses is I John 4:20, "We love because he first loved us."  We are His first love.  I am His first love.  This is how I need to learn what and how to love others: like Christ.  When I think about first loves I remember the butterflies, the excitement, that despite the flaws and the other sides, and no matter what anyone else said, there was love.  John Piper wrote, "It all begins with the love of God. "We love because he first loved us." If you lack the power to love, look to the cross of Christ and let the love of God for sinners fill you with hope."

That's how God looks at me, a sinner…with pure unconditional love.  Jason Marz has a song called "Life is Wonderful" and one of my favorite lyrics in that song is, "It takes no times to fall in love, but it takes you years to know what love is."  This has truth in it.  John is writing these letters at the end of his life.  It has been decades since he lived and walked with Jesus and his wisdom is beyond me.  In these decades he has grown and matured as a Believer and he know what love is.  He lives and understands it.  He is truly in love with God, so love one another as he loves us.