Pastor's Blog

1 John 4 is what I call the “Second Love Chapter” of the Bible.

While 1 Cor. 13 attempts to “define” God’s love “in us,” 1 John 4 identifies the “cause and effect” of God’s love.

·       The Cause (source) – is God and His love in us.

·       The Effect -- is that we love God and others.

If there is anything in all the world we need more of, it would be God’s love shed abroad on our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

If we will only allow Him, God will “intensify” that love for Him (and others) to a point where we may respond like Jesus would,

Some of us may have deep hurts, bad memories, guilt or shame.  There is a sure remedy for all that, and it’s called “God’s Love soothing the hurts and covering a multitude of sins!”

Now, Jesus made it very clear that NO person can be a “friend of Christ” who is not ALSO a friend of his neighbor.  This passage from 1 John says the same thing.  The question is, how can we “intensify” our love for others?

Pray to Have the Heart of Christ.  We’re talking about the same Compassion that moved Jesus to feed the 5,000!  Or, to embrace the little children that loved to gather around Him.  Or, to agonize over the lost condition of those who say mean things to us instead of reacting to their surface condition.  Look beyond their fault and see their need.  Christ-like compassion is NOT “knowing about” the suffering others are going through.  It is:

1.    Knowing the pain

2.    Entering into it

3.    Sharing it

4.    Tasting it

5.    Experiencing it

6.    This is all called “Empathy!”

Have you ever taken a real trip down into the broken heart of a friend?  To feel the sob of the soul.  To sit down with the broken hearted and silently weep! 
John Wesley – “O Father of mercies, grant that I may look upon the defect of my neighbor as if they were my own, that I may conceal and be protective of my neighbor; and that Your love for us, O Blessed Jesus, would become the pattern of my love to them!” 
Do we realize that we are the “incarnation” of God’s love to the world?    Would be to God, that He would send to this loving congregation people whom Jesus was attracted to!  Who would that be?