Day 46 - Issue 42
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1 John 4:11-12
'Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.'
You cannot see the wind, but you can easily see the effects that it has. Equally, you cannot see electricity but we have no doubt that it exists because of all that it does. No one has ever seen God, but we know that he exists because we see his love reflected in the people around us. And so the more we love people, the more they will have the opportunity to see the living God.
Tertullian, one of the Early Church Fathers, wrote of the way in which the pagan Romans were struck by way of life of Christians: “See how they love one another,” was their response. I would love to think that would be the response to each of our churches, and I believe it often is. People see churches setting up food banks, debt advice services, parent and toddler groups, listening services and many other activities. They are wonderful expressions of love and care to our communities but let’s be honest – people sometimes see something very different too. They see churches squabbling over doctrine, worship and buildings and the last thing it shows them is love.
I don’t believe that we will make things better by decrying the Church or blaming other Christians for not being loving. We need to look to ourselves and reflect on ways in which we can set a better example. As we look to God and listen to his voice, we need to find practical ways to better love our Christian brothers and sisters, and then explore ways in which we can share his love more fully together. We don’t want to put on a big show, but we do want to love each other better. We want to make it clear to everyone in our communities that God is alive and well.
Question: How can you reflect God’s love today?
Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for your amazing love to me. Help me to share your love generously with others in whatever I do. Amen
Released on 15 Aug 2022
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