PODCAST
Do I Know You?
December 28th, 2024
1 John 4:7-16
I’ve lived in a number of different places and met a variety of people. Sometimes, when I see someone, I get the feeling I’ve met them before. I wonder where I know them from. I question if I really do know them. Sometimes, the spark that brings the identity to my mind is a quality or characteristic unique to that person.
In the passage for today, the writer uses the word “love” 15 times. That’s a lot of love in 10 verses! While it might feel like your mind could get tripped up on the word (it feels a bit like a tongue twister), loveis a vital part of this passage, and of God.
Our ability to love is wrapped up with so much. Those who love are “born of God” and know God (v. 7). The opposite is also true: if you do not love, you do not know God (v. 8). The writer does not mince words: You either love and therefore know God, or you do not love and you do not know God. Why? “God is love” (v. 8).
You cannot claim a relationship with God if you are not reflecting God: Love.
Author: Mark Hendrickson
