1 Thessalonians 4:9
The scripture for today is 1 Thessalonians 4:9
1Thessalonians 4:9 But concerning brotherly love you need not that I write unto you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
The presence of God in a life is visible to all by the love that followers of Christ have for one another. It is the love of God; it is supernatural; it is beyond what the world sees in itself. It transcends all inclinations of the flesh and looks first to please God through allowing Him to express His love to His own through the love He gives us for one another. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” John 13:35
Jesus is the very expression of the Father’s love for the world. That love draws those who receive Him into the God kind of life that is manifested by the God kind of love. Those who are followers of Christ will have the same expression of the love of God in them as Jesus had. It is the same God, the same love, and the same expression of His love that He shows through those who are His. God brings His love into our hearts and, through His Word and Spirit, teaches us to express it. Love that is not expressed is love that does not exist. Anyone can say the words, “I love you,” but serving one another is love made visible. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 He showed the depth of that love by saying, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
This is the love of God that is manifested through a life that is surrendered to Christ. It is a life that is not lived to fulfill selfish desires but is lived to express the love of God. It is the life of Christ expressed through His body, a body of believers that love one another.
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim