What's Love Got to do with it?

What's love got to do with it? "This passage has been interpreted in terms of believers' assurance in two ways: (1) If our consciences condemn us, God is kinder than our consciences, and if they do not condemn us, we have confidence that God will hear our prayers. (2) If our consciences condemn us, God is more rigorous than our consciences, but if they do not condemn us, then we have confidence that God will hear our prayers. Alternatively the passage may be interpreted in light of Deut 15:7-9, which warns the Israelites about hardness of heart toward needy people. John insists our mean-spirited hearts must be persuaded to make the sacrifice because we will not escape God's notice. If we do respond generously, we experience confidence in prayer." D. A Carson We have been spending time this spring looking closer at the first letter of John. This letter provides us much needed reflection to see how deep our relationship with God truly is. John speaks of Love for each other (2:7-10; 3:10-24; 4:7-5:3); obedience to His commands (1:5-2:6; 2:29-3:10; 3:23-24; 5:4-21); and belief that Jesus is truly the Son of God. (2:18-28; 3:23-4:6; 4:14-15; 5:1, 5). Today our focus is on Love. So I ask you, what does love have to do with it? How can we keep going on in life, strengthening our resolve so that we become better children of God. The simple answer is Remember how much God the Father has loved you. It involves sharing our resolve with fellow Chritians. R.W. Orr said " "Fellowship is the sharing of the divine life and communion of the Father and the Son." So what should we love one another? Well, it sets up apart. It distinguishes us as children of God. It signifies that we have passed from death to eternal life. But what does it really mean to love one another? And what benefits do we receive in return? The word love (Greek word "agape") has been described as "active goodwill". In giving His life four our sins, Jesus demonstrated his goodwill in an active way. If we spend time thinking about this, by His example we are taught to love one another (1 Thes 4:9). Love is about sacrificially serving others. We should be willing to lay down our lives for one another. "God is greater than our hearts. An oversensitive conscience can be quieted by the knowledge that God himself has declared active love to be an evidence of salvation. He knows the hearts of all-whether, in spite of shortcomings, they have been born of him." Ken Barker Love in fact, gives us assurance before God. It leads to positive answers to prayer. And it provides confidence for our eternal life. Wonderful blessings that we all desire. Going deeper: Acts 4:5-12 Psalm 23 1 John 3:16-24 John 10:11-18