Abide

 1 John 4:16 ESV

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 


We might assume that to know and to believe are contradictory. Many people see faith as a leap in the dark. Yet John sees no contradiction between the two.

The Apostle John wrote 1 John so we might have assurance of salvation. Belief is the key that unlocks the door of salvation. It's because of God's love that we can be saved.

If we belong to Jesus, we have been reset so that our new default is love. If we abide in love, we can know that we abide in God. This isn't just love for others, but for God himself.

We love, because God first loved us. There's no room for being all self congratulatory about our love. We just need to rest in the love of God for us.

'Dear God, may we rest in your love, and may it overflow in our lives to bless others too. For we ask in Christ's name, amen'.

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