City Life Starter

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, alwaysperseveres.

By Stefan Johnsson

As I sat down to write this blog, I did not know how I could write on such a perfect passage of the Bible. Paul defines love in such great detail that every time I read it, I realize there is no better description that fits love. I wanted to just leave the verses and have it as a meditation with one sentence below…”Look at Jesus”. Then I began to think of Jesus and how He portrayed these characteristics. Should I put a passage for each one? I could do this and we can all dwell on Jesus’ perfect love for us through his actions and words.

And then 1 John 4:17 hit me. “In this world we are like Jesus”.  The term Christian came from the earlier followers of Jesus acting like “little Christ’s”. The pagans realized that these people portrayed the very essence of their Messiah in actions and deeds. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can only exemplify Christ through our love to others.

Remember and reflect on how you portray God’s love in your own life. Jesus wants us to abide in him, though, how much are you doing so? Pray for God to tear down any barriers in your life that causes you to fail in showing love. Let the definition of love by Paul above and the words of the apostle John belowremind you of our calling here on Earth, that is to be the light of life for those around us.

1 John 4:7-21 (NIV)

God’s Love and Ours

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 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. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 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.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.