Southland Christian Church

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In Case of Emergency – Stay The Course - Tuesday


Today’s Verse

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV)


Yesterday we talked about how God calls us to love Him and love others—everything He asks us to do flows out of those commands. That sounds simple because we as people in this day and age generally love love! Love is popular, no matter which circles you run in. But, when you see the world and the Bible agree on something, it is usually a good idea to make sure you are defining your terms. 

Once you look at it, it’s pretty obvious that God and the world do not mean the same thing when using the word “love”. 1 John 4:8 (ESV) says “God is love”. God is the author of love and there is example after example in the Bible of God displaying His love for us, not the least of which is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross!

Unfortunately, even in some churches, the definition of love is lacking and incomplete. Love is not just about God’s grace, Jesus' acceptance of sinners, and the Good News that the Gospel is for everyone. God’s love also acknowledges our sins and our need for a Savior to receive God’s grace, includes Jesus’ commands to sinners to turn from their sin, and the reality that only those who submit by following Jesus and obeying Him experience the saving reality of the Gospel. 

While love is popular, repenting and turning from our sins (or even acknowledging that we sin at all) is not. The love that God calls us to is the love that He modeled for us. Love is grace and truth, even though the truth side of love is not very popular in our culture right now. 

What our culture says shouldn’t change our mission because our mission is not dependent on our circumstances—it’s not even dependent on how long we have been following Jesus, or how many Bible verses we have memorized. 

You may not be a Biblical scholar, but if you are a follower of Jesus, you know the grace and truth you have experienced. As you grow in your understanding of God throughout your walk with Him, He will continue to give you opportunities to love through grace and truth!


REFLECTION

Has God given you opportunities to speak of His grace and the truth of the Gospel? Pray that you will recognize those opportunities and that the Holy Spirit will empower you with boldness to share what you have experienced.