1 John 4:13
The scripture for today is 1 John 4:13
1 John 4:13 By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
While His entire creation is before Him, God has chosen to tabernacle with those whom He created in His image. The presence of His Holy Spirit provides the assurance that He lives in our hearts. If God is living within our hearts, He directs our lives according to His Spirit and character. In other words, when a person has God living within, they should behave as God directs. That behavior is described in His Word: "He that loves not knows not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8
"God is love" describes not only what God is like, it also describes the attributes of those who have Him living inside of their hearts. Where God abides, love abides. The Holy Spirit is first and foremost the Spirit of love and truth. Those who are filled with Him will live in love and truth. There are many counterfeits but only one Holy Spirit. You can readily discern His presence by the love and truth that He exhibits in the lives of those who receive Him. God is revealed in the life of a person through the tangible presence of His love. "No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:12 That is what people see in the life of a true Christian; the love of God. A love that is willing to make the supreme sacrifice for a brother or sister, a love that behaves the same way that Jesus did. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." 1 John 4:10-11 Can we love one another with this kind of extreme, self-sacrificing love? We can if God lives in us through His Holy Spirit.
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim