John: L.O.V.E
He called himself ‘the disciple Jesus loved’. Not because Jesus loved him more than the other disciples, but because he chose to intentionally plug into the love that was available to him, to the other 11 as well as to you and me. This intentional decision he made led to revelations about love that he went on to teach about in his epistles. And today we take a glimpse into this L.O.V.E that John was so passionate about, even as we link it to the vision God has for each of us.
In the Beginning
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
John 1:1-4
You are probably familiar with the above mirror. So you may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with love?
Answer: Everything
Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.
1 John 4:8
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 him.
1 John 4:16
Therefore, because God is love, we can paraphrase John 1:1-3 as follows:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Love, and the Word was Love. He was with Love in the beginning.
And if the Word was Love, then verse 4 can be paraphrased as follows:
Through Love all things were made, without Love nothing was made that has been made. In Love was life, and that life was the light of men.
Your Turn:
You were made by Love. Genesis 1:27 tells us:
So God (Love) created man in his own image, in the image of God (Love) he created him, male and female he created them.
Not only were you made by Love, but you were made in the image of Love. Therefore, the core of who you are is Love. And it is only in Love that your life is sustained. It is only in Love that your path remains lit. Therefore, it is only in Love that any God ordained vision is birthed and sustained.
Is Love at the core of your vision?
Vision of Love
Before you answer the above question, pass your reply through the below mirrors:
i) Fear
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.
1 John 4:18
Your Turn:
Are you motivated or paralysed by fear? Fear of poverty, fear of success, fear of failure…these are some of the ‘fears’ that people tend to quote as the reason for or against their success. But the Word is clear, fear and Love do not go hand in hand…
What role is fear playing in your life?
A God given vision is not incubated in fear, but in love.
ii) Obedience
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
1 John 5:4
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever- the Spirit of Truth[…]
John 14:15-17
Your Turn:
God’s love language is obedience. If you are going to live out the vision He has for you, you will have to obey His commands. And because He knows that this is not an easy task, He has given us the Holy Spirit as a Helper.
Do you walk in obedience?
Are you reliant on the Holy Spirit?
Every God given vision is dependent to obedience to the leading and promptings of the Holy Spirit.
iii) Love for Others
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:11-12
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John 4:20-21
Your Turn:
Does your vision reflect God’s heart of love for His creation?
Is your vision outward looking or self looking?
God given visions are not selfish…Me, Me, Me…
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
1 John 3:16
The Starting Point:
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:28-29
The starting point of living out your God ordained vision is by believing in Jesus Christ.
Does this mean you cannot be successful without Christ? No. There are many who have gotten a glimpse of who they were created to be and attained great material success, without Christ. But , He does let us know this:
“I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last[…]
John 15:5,16
The world and its desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever.
John 1:17
You cannot bear lasting fruit without Christ.
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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10
Perfect Love is birthed in us by the Son. Do you have this Perfect Love?
If yes, are you walking in the light of Love?
If no, would you like to receive Him?
All you have to do is:
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Romans 10:9-10
If you have confessed Jesus as Lord, plug into a Bible believing, Bible teaching church and begin to walk in this Love that is now in you. And while you are at it, start reading the book of John ☺