The Essence of Our Entirety

It’s one of those quiet evening times where I get myself to settle down and write (or type as the case may be). Father, there is no greater companion than You. Today has not been a crazy day by any means but through it all, we have been together. Thank You for Your comforting presence.

1 John 2:3-6 (<<click here)

Lord, if I tried to put the essence of your entirety into one single word, it would have to be the word LOVE. The Apostle John himself a few verses later in this epistle states that You are love. 1 John 4:8

He is also the apostle that, in his Gospel, quotes You as saying,

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. John 15:12

Here in this passage he says,

³And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. ⁴If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. ⁵But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. ⁶Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

Lord, the life You lived on this old earth was a life of love from the moment You chose to come to live amongst us to the moment You were taken up into heaven following the forty days You encouraged the disciples after Your resurrection. Why can’t we get it? It is so simple, You…love…us! Every interaction with every single individual of Your creation was full of love. Even Your sternness with the religious leaders of Your day was tough love. You want no one to perish. John 3:16

So…if we claim to “know God” we should obey You. If we say that we “live in God” then we “should live [our] lives as Jesus did.” We must love the lovable and those who are not.

In fact, we must not just love the unlovable but we must love the hateful, as well. What were some of Your final words from the cross?

“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”   Luke 23:34

May others be able to put the essence of our entirety into one single word as well – LOVE. Amen!

Apr 6^th, Thurs, 8:18 pm