Jesus loves you, those 3 little words often glibly roll off people’s tongues without thinking about it. However, the love of God bears thinking about. In 1 John chapter 4 (KJV) we can learn a lot about God’s love. In verse 10 we read, " Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins"; now that is love. Propitiation simply means that Christ’s sacrifice won God’s mercy for us.

In verse 16 the apostle John wrote: “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”. We can know, experience and believe God’s love for us. It also says if we continue in love, God dwells in us and we in God. That’s a great place to live.

If we truly love God, we will love one another (1 John 4:20). As we dwell in God and he in us, we have his perfect love in us (1 John 4 :16-17) and that perfect love drives out all fear from within us (1 John 4:18)

We really need a revelation of God’s great love for us - it doesn’t just come from a quick read through of this chapter but by meditating on it and confessing it until, we know that we know that we know, God loves us. Once we have that revelation, we will be able to share it with others (1 John 4:7).

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In discovering how we grow in our Christian walk and become more like Jesus, it is often useful to seek the advice of the faith giants in the bible. In 2 Timothy 2:22-25 Paul instructs Timothy as follows: “flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves” (2 Tim 2:22-25; KJV).

Notice Paul does not say to just watch out for sin but to flee (run from, shun it) from it. We are also to pursue or press in actively, aggressively, to righteousness, faith, love, and peace. This requires effort on our part. We need to walk in that right standing with God and build up our faith by speaking the word (Rom 10:17).

God calls us to seek his peace, not the so-called peace that the world offers (John 14:27) and we are to live our lives by God’s unconditional love. If this was not all enough, we are also called to purity.

God hates strife, so don’t argue; it’s as simple as that. Paul says we are to teach each other and call each other on but look at how we are to do it, with gentleness, patience and a real sense of humility; certainly not lording it over others. Wow, lots of meat there but my heart cry is Lord change me; I need to be all you want me to be. How about you?

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"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?  hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness" (Isa 55:1-2; KJV).

King David wrote that he thirsted for God (Ps 42 :2). Jesus said that if we thirsted for the thing of God we should come and drink (John 7:37). I love the story of Jesus meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar (John 4: 7-42). Jesus had asked her for a drink and in their conversation, Jesus said to her that if she new who he was, she would have asked him, and he would have given her, living water. Jesus was meaning the life-giving word of God; the word that we have in our Bibles.

Are you thirsty for more of God? If not, you can develop a thirst. So, start drinking and soon you will develop a taste for the things of God.  When we start giving our time and energy to something, we will develop a desire for more of it. Start attending to Bible study, prayer and spending time in God’s presence and before too long you will be wanting to do it more and more; its life changing!

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We are often told that actions speak louder than words. Sadly, many people write Christians off as hypocrites, because so many who claim to be Christians behave no differently than anyone else in the world. If you look at the Greek word for hypocrite it can be defined simply as one who acts, with his real motives hidden.

Jesus lambasted the Pharisees for their hypocrisy (Matt 23:1-39). Paul was able to say follow me as I follow Christ (1 Cor 11:1) and he exhorted Timothy to be an example in word and conduct (1 Tim 4:12). Moses was known as a man of humility and David as a man after God’s own heart, a man of obedience. However, we should be encouraged as we know that none of these men claimed to be, or where, perfect. Jesus is obviously our supreme example of a holy and godly life but even he said there is no one good except God himself (Luke 18:19).

We could list many attributes that the real Christian should manifest in public but space does not allow that here. Perhaps 1 John 3:18-19 (KJV) captures the essence: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him”. The Apostle James tells us that if we claim to have faith but do not have corresponding works our faith is dead (James 2:14-17). How did the men above walk the talk? They were all men that had a genuine and close relationship with God; they were all obedient to the Spirit of God. We can be the same if we press into God and his word and allow his Spirit to change us.

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“But if the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Rom 8:11; KJV).

This is a verse that I have been confessing for years. It is almost unbelievable that we have the same Spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead. It can’t get any better than that. That same power of the Holy Spirit brings us gifts of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith that goes beyond the faith we all have, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophesy, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues (1 Cor 12:8-10).

That same Spirit can change us if we allow, so that the fruit of the Spirit develops in us: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23). Wow and double wow.

If you need healing in your body that same Spirit in you can bring healing. If you need self-control that same Spirit can bring it. If you need strength for your body, that same Spirit can bring strength. Whatever it is you need, that same Spirit can supply it. However, to just read about it is not enough, we need to believe and confess this word so that the power in it can have an effect on us.

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