Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another because God is love.
Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him. The one who doesn’t love has yet to know God, for God is love.
The light of God’s love shined within us when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him.
This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins.
Delightfully loved ones, if he loved us with such tremendous love, then “loving one another” should be our way of life!
No one has ever gazed upon the fullness of God’s splendour. But if we love one another, God makes his permanent home in us, and we make our permanent home in him, and his love is brought to its full expression in us.”
1 John 4:7-12 TPT
A brief explaination of 1 John 4:7-21
God is love so whoever loves is showing God. To have love is to have God
The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]”
1 John 4:7-8 AMP
Love means God abides in us
“Beloved, if God so loved us [in this incredible way], we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.”
1 John 4:11-12 AMP
Love gives us the confidence to face Jesus in the day of judgement
“In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world.”
1 John 4:17 AMP
Why? Because loves makes us able representatives and ambassadors of Christ in this world. Our ambassadorial duty is to love one another, love people, be His eyes, mouth, legs, that when people see us, they see who Christ is without having to read the Bible
Love casts out fear
“There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].”
1 John 4:18 AMP
When you know the depth of God’s love for you and you accept it, you do not need to fear judgement.
That’s why 2 Tim 1:7 says the spirit of love replaces the spirit of fear
Love in action
Love is more like a verb than a noun. Love is seen by actions, not just words.
“Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words].”
1 John 3:18 AMP
This verse is corroborated by Ezekiel 33:21
So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. Ezekiel 33:21
Why do we need to show love?
Love is the only debt we owe in the kingdom and you have to pay it
“Don’t owe anything to anyone, except your outstanding debt to continually love one another, for the one who learns to love has fulfilled every requirement of the law.”
Romans 13:8 TPT
Love is a Mark of spiritual maturity
“For love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark of true maturity.”
Colossians 3:14 TPT
How can you show love?
Listen to the song below
You must never hate your fellow believer
“Everyone who keeps hating a fellow believer is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
1 John 3:15 TPT
Love is by sharing what you have
“But whoever has the world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him?”
1 John 3:17 AMP
“If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do?”
James 2:15-16 AMP
“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?”
Isaiah 58:7 AMP
Sharing also involves using your gift to benefit others
Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God’s multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favor]. Whoever speaks [to the congregation], is to do so as one who speaks the oracles (utterances, the very words) of God. Whoever serves [the congregation] is to do so as one who serves by the strength which God [abundantly] supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified [honored and magnified] through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 4:9-11 AMP
Loving Christ is loving people
The love of Christ helps you to love people
When the love of Christ is paramount in your heart it will be easier to love others
You cannot love Christ and refuse to love the people around you
The love of Christ is shown in the way you show love (kindness, forgiveness, compassion) towards others
The overflowing love of Christ must be shared and shed towards others Rom 5:5, 1 John 4:20
Loving is demonstrated in forgiveness. Love covers a multitude of sins, it keeps forgiving
“Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]. [Prov. 10:12.]”
1 Peter 4:8 AMPC
Conclusion
The love of God gives you compassion for the needy
Who are the needy?
Anyone who is lacking what you have to give. Those in need of your giftings and talents, forgiveness from you, your resources, time and affection.
You don’t just share your belongings with the poor and refuse to share forgiveness with those who offend you. That’s an imperfect love
Prayer
Lord fill my heart with compassion for others
Lord show me how to love as you have loved me
As faith without works is dead so love without action is fake