Hello my friends,
This is Mark Gladman welcoming you to this Lectio Divina reflection on the words of 1 John chapter 4 verses 7 through 12.
At one point in his ministry Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment and he responded by giving two commandments and the reason why is because they were so intertwined with each other that he couldn't stop by giving just one.
Those two commandments of course were love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind with all your strength and he said the other one was like it,
Love your neighbour as you love yourself not as much as yourself Jesus said just as yourself in other words as an extension of yourself if your neighbour were you how would you want to be loved love them like that.
Now as John tells us here it seems you can't have one without the other either.
In verse 80 writes whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.
Just be reminded that the converse is true if you know how to love then you do know God.
Love for one another Brendan Manning said is the litmus test of our love of God.
In fact from the chapter previous 1 John chapter 3 verse 11 right through the whole of chapter 4 John speaks of the interconnection between love of God and our love of our neighbour.
The reason is at the heart of this passage that we're sharing in this lectio.
It's easily said well known often forgotten and so easy it seems we can't get our heads around it and that is simply this God is love.
So as you stop and pause and take time to reflect on the passage in lectio today may love become central to who you are and what you do.
A living force that is in around and among us that drives our heart our soul our mind and our strength.
So I invite you to simply breathe in breathe out as we give this time to God.
So we pray open our ears to hear what it is that you have to say to us through the words of scripture today.
Open our minds to think carefully about what they might mean for us about how we might live these words and open our hearts to receive these words like seed planted in good fertile soil that they might bloom and blossom and grow and bear good fruit that will last so that your kingdom God may come on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
God let us love one another because love is from God.
Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God for God is love.
God's love was revealed among us in this way.
God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him.
In this is love.
Not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent their son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Beloved since God loved us so much we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
If we love one another God lives in us and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in God and God in us because God has given us of their spirit.
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them.
Beloved let us love one another because love is from God.
Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God for God is love.
God's love was revealed among us in this way.
God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him.
In this is love.
Not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent their son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Beloved since God loved us so much we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
If we love one another God lives in us and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in God and God in us because God has given us of their spirit.
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them.
God's love is perfected in us because God has given us of their spirit.
Beloved since God loved us so much we also ought to love one another.
God lives in us Beloved,
Let us love one another because love is from God.
Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God,
For God is love.
God's love was revealed among us in this way.
God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
In this is love.
Not that we loved God,
But that God loved us and sent their Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Beloved,
Since God loved us so much,
We also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
If we love one another,
God lives in us and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in God and God in us because God has given us of their spirit.
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them.
As we rise from this time of prayer,
We give thanks for this moment,
Reading the scriptures,
Meditating,
Praying and contemplating on their meaning and the change and transformation that can be done in our lives through these words.
As we go from this place today,
May we go seeing the world with fresh eyes,
Knowing that love lives in us and allowing that love to flow through us to the world in which we live.
Amen.
May you go in peace to love and serve God as you love and serve your neighbour.
Until next time,
May you always remember that you are blessed so that you can be a blessing to others.
Bye for now.
