Again this Sunday, I'm sharing from the Made for Community reading plan from Love God Greatly that I worked on back in 2015. With this study, as I have often done, I used the SOAP method of Bible study. Just a quick reminder that the S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application and P is for Prayer. The eighth section is Made for Community Challenge Week. So here we go with the Scripture for the first day of that section.
S= "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
O= The epistle of 1 John has been described as "a family letter" from the Father to His "little children who are in the world." C.I Scofield notes, "John's Gospel leads us across the threshold of the Father's house; the First Epistle makes us at home there."
Chapter 3 is contrasting God's children with the children of the devil and is noting their distinguishing characteristics. And verse 18 is part of that description. We are not to love only with our words, but in deed and in truth. One of the cross-references for "love" is 1 John 4:21 --
"And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also."
We are to show our love not only by what we say, but by what we do -- and it needs to be real, not false.
A= It's easy to say we love God and others. But as the saying goes, talk is cheap. His Word tells me that I am not to love merely in word. In addition to showing love with my words, I am to love in deed. My love for God and others needs to be seen in my actions. And also, I am to love in truth. My love must be real and not feigned. Jesus said, "If a man love Me, he will keep my words." (John 14:23)
P= "Lord, I pray that You will help my love for You and others to be real and true. Help me to love You and others in deed and in truth -- to live out the love I say that I have. Your Word tells me that those who truly love You will obey what is written there. I pray that You will help me to do this consistently, thanking You for all You'll do, in Jesus' name, Amen."
There you have it -- this week's Sunday Scripture! I hope it was a blessing to someone.
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