Today we continue our series entitled, “God Loves You”, under the overall theme for the year of, “Supernatural Manifestation.” We spent a week looking at the first three verses of 1st John chapter 3. Today I want us to look at verses 16-18. This is what the Bible says:
“This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for each other as brothers and sisters. Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God’s love is not in that person’s heart. My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.” (1 John 3:16-18 ERV)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. I have been teaching you that God loves you. This is step one. You have to get to the point where you KNOW God loves you just the way you are, that He loves you too much to leave you that way, and that He will never turn His back on you. If believing and receiving the love of God is the step one, then step two is releasing that very same love towards others.
2. Jesus did not just love us in words. Jesus loved us in deeds. He died for us, even while we were sinners. The Bible says, “our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.” You prove your love for God and others in actions, not words.
3. God expects us to be the personification of His love. In John’s Gospel he documented the fact that Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Jesus did not say that His followers would be known by how we dress, or what we drive, or how we talk, or where we live. The only way the world will know that we are followers of Jesus is IF WE LOVE!
4. Grandpa John, after meditating on God’s love for decades, said, “If we say we love God but hate any of our brothers or sisters in his family, we are liars. If we don’t love someone we have seen, how can we love God? We have never even seen him” (1 John 4:20). Said another way, “How can you say you love a God you cannot see, if you cannot love the people you see every day?” Your love for God is proven in your love for man!
5. Love is the key to the supernatural:
a) I have been teaching you how much God loves you (and I will continue to do so), because you will never believe God to be used of Him supernaturally until you know He loves you unconditionally.
b) I will also teach you about loving others. Because receiving the love of God in your heart is only half the equation. The other half is releasing what you have received. The love of God comes TO you, so that it can flow THROUGH you.
c) You will never be used of God to minister to people in a supernatural way, until you develop a true love for the people God wants to reach through you. You can’t reach those you don’t value.
d) When you receive the love of God in your heart, and you love the people God has sent you to, you are in position to be used of God in a supernatural way. At that point the love of God can flow TO you and THROUGH you in ways that far exceed human power, ability and strength. This is the goal. This is how God reaches humans through humans. The key is His love!
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. Not because I am so good, but because You are and because I develop in Your love. I receive Your love in my heart and I am quick to release what I receive. I am a conduit of Your love in this world. Your love flows TO me and it then flows THROUGH me, in ways that exceed human power, ability and strength. The supernatural is natural to me, because I am motivated by Your love. I love those the world calls, “Unlovable”, because I have a love in my heart that is unconditional. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
