“Love Comes From God”

Thursday, September 29, 2011 (8:02 a.m.)

Awesome Blessed God,

Thank You! I get to love You because You first loved me (1John 4:19). Now here’s a direction I wasn’t expecting to take! I thought we were going to talk about being renewed or made clean. Let me hear [and apply J] what it is You would have me learn from You this day.

Ah. Again. “Love Comes From God”. Starting with verse seven. “Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are the children of God, and they are getting to know Him better.” Mm. Getting to know You better. This is definitely a good idea!

Reading [and learning!] again, “In this act [You sending Your only Son into this wicked world to bring us eternal life through His death (v. 9)] we see what real love is: it is not our love for God but His love for us when He sent His Son to satisfy God’s anger against our sins” (v. 10).

But Your teaching doesn’t stop there. No, no. We are taught so much more in verse eleven. “Dear friends, since God loved us as much as that, we surely ought to love each other too.” Here again we are caught between something we know we are supposed to do but are far too often unable to accomplish in and of ourselves. Thank You Lord that You came to teach us how.

Thank You that I get to come to Your Word each day. Thank You for the sacrifices that have been made to afford me this freedom.

I got to experience the fruit of Your love yesterday Lord. There was a misunderstanding, followed by sullenness and silence. That’s our old pattern around here.

This time, in the very midst of my typical “Well, I’ll show him!” demeanor, my heart softened. I recognized my hurt feelings and I knew I did NOT want to be angry.

(10:41 a.m.)

Thank You for interruptions of friendship Lord. Three different phone calls from three dearly loved women. Each friendship build on the solid foundation of You as our cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).

As I prepare to go from here into a day of tying up loose ends, I ask You Lord to go before me. Go within me. Beneath me. Beside me. Above me. Behind me. Show me what to feel, be, think and do (Mark 12:30). Guide and direct my time and energies. Let me be an excellent steward of both. I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Thank You for first loving me! Amen.

(441 words ~ 10:58 a.m.)