November 21 – Abiding Love

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16 (NASB)

‘Abide’ is an interesting word in our verse today. It can be translated as ‘remain, wait, or continue.’ One of the many great truths revealed to us in the Bible is God's love for us who abide. These words in our verse today are John the Apostle’s. John knew God's love and he had experienced it intimately as he walked and talked with Jesus. He had seen Jesus heal sick, raise the dead and he had seen Jesus weep. He also watched Jesus die as he was nailed to the executioners cross. He saw the resurrected Jesus and he saw Jesus rise up into heaven. John knew God's love and he relied on it. We today also know God's love because we have believed that Jesus died for us, rose again to new life and accepted him as our Savior and Lord. We experience His love in our lives and we depend on Him each day because we know how He loves us with a perfect love. We live in the love of God and God lives in us. A wonderful and encouraging promise we can depend upon to be true. As we ABIDE let’s be thankful and rejoice!

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August 30 – Know and Believe and Remain

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”   1 John 4:15-16 (NASB)

These words, of course are about people who have believed in Jesus as their Savior.  There is a great change in our lives when we believe in Jesus. God comes into our lives and we become a part of His family.  That is something that should cause great joy to overflow in our hearts and minds.  We read in today's verses that we know and we rely through faith-believing on the love God has for us.  Before we believed we have likely heard about God's love for us, and after we believed we begin to experience God’s love as He comes into our lives.  It is by this love that we are made a part of God's family and can actually abide in God as God abides in us.  The word 'abides' has the meaning “to remain” and “to last” and our abiding in love, and in God, and God in us, is to be a permanent condition.  Let us today be thankful that through the love of God, we are in God and God is in us. We can know and believe God is love. 

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April 18 - Trust and Rely

“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.” Isaiah 50:10 (NIV)

Through the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, God has given us words of encouragement if we are ones who honor the Lord and obey the words He has given to us in the Bible.  We thinking today especially of the last part of this verse. It is an  invitation to trust the Lord when the way seems dark ahead of us. When our verse mentions that a person might be without a light, it reminds us that we need to recognize that we don't have a light within ourselves. Human wisdom does not provide the answers to spiritual problems. We don't know the future but we have a God who does.  So when we can't see the way ahead, we are invited to look to God for His answer.  Are any of us looking at a future that is not certain and can not be fully determined and depended on?  God is in our future and He is the one who promises to give light to our feet and path and wisdom to make our decisions.  Trust and rely on our God today. 

November 21 – Reliable Love

“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.” 1 John 4:16 (NIV) 

One of the many great truths revealed to us in the Bible is God's love for us. The writer of these words in our verse today is the Apostle John. John knew of God's love and he had experienced it as he walked and talked with Jesus. He had see Jesus heal sick, raise the dead and he had see Jesus weep. He also watched Jesus die as he was nailed to the executioners cross. He saw the resurrected Jesus and he saw Jesus rise up into heaven. John knew God's love and he relied on it. We today also know God's love because we have believed that Jesus died for us, rose again to new life and accepted him as our Savior and Lord. We experience His love in our lives and we depend on Him each day because we know how He loves us with a perfect love. We live in the love of God and God lives in us. A wonderful and encouraging promise we can depend upon to be true. Be thankful and rejoice!