2 John 1:6 "This is Love"

2 John 1:6

            “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

            Though it seems like a bit of circular reasoning –love is walking in obedience to His command and His command is to walk in love –we cannot let ourselves become bogged down by the repetitive words and miss what the words mean. If we love God we will show our love by walking in his commands. His command is that we walk daily in the love He has shown us. If we love God and we desire to follow Him that love will overflow into every part of our life. We will follow His commands and show His love to those around us because we love Him.

1 John 4:16-18 "God is Love"

1 John 4:16-18

            “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

            God is love. Everything that He is embodies true love. 2 Chronicles 20:21 says that, “His love endures forever…” We know we can rely on His love. Love is so much a part of God’s character that we cannot be of God if we do not love. If we do not show love to others, how can we claim to be of God? “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 3:19) God sent His only son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. After being shown such amazing love, how could we keep from wanting to share that love with others? God’s love for us is perfect. We should nt love Him out of fear of punishment, but because He is love.

2 Timothy 1:7 & 8 "Spirit of Power"

2 Timothy 1:7 & 8

            “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

            Every day we have many opportunities to share about Christ. Every single person we come in contact with is a person to whom we can witness to, whether through our actions or our words. We were not given a spirit of timidity. We were given a spirit of power to boldly preach the gospel to those around us. We were given a spirit of love so that we might be an example of God’s amazing love for us. And we were given a spirit of self-discipline so that we might not fall captive to the sins of this world, to lead by our example.

            “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God…”

Acts 28:30-31, Romans 8:28 "Without Hindrance"

Acts 28:30-31, Romans 8:28

            “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”

            For two years, Paul was under house arrest in Rome, unable to leave his home to preach the gospel. However, he did not let that hinder him, instead using the resources he still had available to him to preach the gospel. Many of the letters preserved in the Bible were written by Paul during this time, such as his letters to Ephesus, Colossi, and Philippi. His hands were not idel –though he was unable to visit these places himself, he continued to be a source of encouragement and a teacher for the early Christian Church. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” God can use any circumstance we are in for good, we just have to be willing to live a life unhindered by this world.

Galatians 5:2-6, Hebrews 8:13 "Being Made Right By Love"

            “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor circumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

            When Jesus came down to earth, he completely fulfilled the old covenant, replacing it with a new one. “By calling this covenant ‘new’, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13). Though the rules in the Old Testament are certainly helpful and good to follow, we should not be following them out of the belief that we must do so in order to be made right with God. Jesus came to earth in order to make us right with God –we cannot do it ourselves. However, when we try to follow the law in order to try to attain justification, it does not have any worth at all. Only when we act out of the love we are shown by our Lord and Savior, by the One True God, is it worth anything.