Daily Scripture Threshing for Thursday, September 21, 2023
Today’s Text: 1 John 4:7-21
Key Verse: 1 John 4:7 (ESV): “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
We started this meditation series from yesterday. We began to ponder on God’s love in a troubled world. We started from how God’s love sought out and chose broken and fractured Galileans. We saw how genuine love is never based upon the trajectory of perfection and worthiness. How true love found the selfish John from his broken nets and flaring temper, and turned him into an apostle of love.
There’s never been a time when the world has been more troubled than these days. We literally live in the last days that the apostles spoke about. We desire to love and be loved today but our untrimmed temper betrays our Adamic nature; and a world full of hate and broken hearts is the logical result. John was more qualified to speak to us about God’s conquering love. He’s been where we are. It was he who forbade strangers from using the name of his Lord (Mark 9:38). It was he who would call down fire from heaven onto a whole village for the action of a few who would not allowing their ministry (Luke 9:52-56).
Like us, he needed to know that God needs something deeper than our zeal. God needs true love that comes, not from doing things, but from knowing and following Jesus. Our world needs much more than our piety and claims of personal encounter with Jesus. They don’t care if we live, walk and dine with Him. What matters is if His conquering for those who hate, reject and despisefully use us has transformed us like John: from being sons of thunder into being sons of sunrise. Who we are is better than what we do. To change the troubled world, Christians must first change into this loving image of the Savior. From a munger of hates and fire into an apostle of God’s love. From self seeking lover, who wanted the chiefest place to the only selfless follower who made it even to the the foot of the cross when others fled.
Such love has already been shed abroad in our hearts. Such love keeps the troubled world in view. It flows from a heart that has given up with ego, self seeking, flaring temper, and is humble enough to survive thickest darkness of persecution. Having been changed by God’s love, John entire ministry from that breaking point focused on God’s love as believers’ most important virtue, which teaches us how there is no fear in God’s love. Instead, it casts out fear and torment. This is how we heal and rescue our troubled world.
Quote for the Day: “God’s love is like fireplace on a cold winter morning. People do not care who set the fire. They shroud and wrap themselves before the heat, get their desired warmth, and walk away from the fire. But the further they walk, the colder again.” (Simon Olatunji)
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I am grateful for Your love. Help me also to love You in all things and above all things. May I reach the joy which You have prepared for me in
Heaven. May I walk in the trust that all good things comes from You, and to place my life in Your hand — in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
With all my love and prayers,
Rev Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.
Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)
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[Daily Scripture Threshing is a devotional guide of The House of Prayer Evangel Church USA distributed for free use by individuals, small groups, families, and Christian churches]
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