Day One in Love

TALK ABOUT HITTING THE GROUND LOVING...

This morning I woke up, stumbled around the house for a bit, then decided to hit up Starbucks and use my birthday reward! It's the one day a year I don't feel bad about ordering a $5.00 pumpkin spice latte...I sat down at tiny table in the corner, pulled out my Bible and a journal, and flipped them both open. 

1 John was the book I decided to explore for the morning! Just a quick little background on this book:

1. It is written by the Apostle John, whom some believe to be the first cousin of Jesus.

2. It was written later in John's life, after the death and resurrection.

3. It is a letter that is written in a way that it may have been circulated to Christians all over the land.

4. It is exactly 3 pages long.

5. In this short 3 page letter, the word "love" is used 43 times.

I spent a good hour reading through John's words, underlining, making notes, reading supplemental information for the chapter, and settled upon a series of verses that paint the exact picture of what I am trying to achieve over the next 365 days:

1 John 4:7-12 "Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. 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...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."

Wow...

I could not better articulate the goal of the journey I am on than how a really old guy that loved Jesus with his whole heart did nearly 2000 years ago. I am particularly touched by the phrase: "whoever does not love, does not know God". It seems that now you can find hate any where you look. From terrorist organizations, anti-gay movements, racial groups, political parties, and even within the so called "Christian Community", you will see violence, hate, loathing, judgement, and negativity. 

It has always broken my heart to see groups claiming to be Christian act in such evil ways. I have struggled to defend my faith because of those leaving black marks with their sharpies and protest boards. How can someone claiming to love God, hate their neighbor with such passion? This excerpt from 1 John...this is a smack in the face reminder. No matter what these hateful groups claim, whether Christian extremists, political rebels, violent insurgents...no matter what their words speak, if the do not love others, if their actions illustrate hate, THEY DO NOT KNOW GOD.   

I do not claim to be a perfect Christian or even better than any of my billions of neighbors on this planet. I falter and fall short time and time again, I am a sinner, I am guilty of not always loving my neighbor, but I hope that I can work towards living a better life. I want to live a life where my actions shout: "I know God, I know love".  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.