1 John 4:16 --- So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
It's Friday! For those who work the Monday-Friday grind, the finish line for the week is here. Those who work weekends, I pray your shifts go by quickly!
Diving into today's verse was easy. It summarizes a ton of stuff John has been hammering on in one single verse.
You know the love God has for us.
You believe the love God has for us.
God is love. (agape/selfless/sacrificial love)
If you abide in love. (agape/selfless/sacrificial love)
Then you abide in God.
And God abides in you.
One of the things that really stood out to me was the first part involving our part, KNOW and BELIEVE. Both words in the Greek are in PERFECT tense, meaning they are done, completed, finished, once and for all. I have come to KNOW and BELIEVE in God's love, which He is love. I'm not questioning it, I'm not toying around with other things, I've staked my claim, signed the paperwork and I'm locked in on this thing.
From there on every other verb is PRESENT tense. So, here is everything else that is presently, ongoing, once you lock in knowing and believing:
God HAS love for us
God IS love
The one who ABIDES in love, ABIDES in God
And God ABIDES in him.
Now that's a lot of abiding! What it means to me is I better stop right now, take a long look at my daily life, find what I need to change to make God the priority. Abiding is being rooted together, sewn together, staying in place together, moving where He moves because you're attached to him. I have the image of living in one of those old RVs with Him. When He moves, we just rev the engine up and our abiding goes with Him!! LOL.. silly image of hanging out in an RV with Jesus.
Now, it's no easy task to abide in Him daily, especially in today's insanely demanding world of non-stop go, go, go, 24/7 entertainment, work, social media, but He is perfectly clear in His Word the one who continually, presently, abides in God, then God will continually, presently abide in him.
Are you continually, presently abiding in love?
Are you continually, presently abiding in God?
Is God continually, presently abiding in you?
Something to ponder on this fine Friday morning. Be the Berean, jump into the Word and read 1 John 4 yourself. Talk with God about it and see what He has to tell you!
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