Advent Season – Love 3

 

1 John 4:19 reminds us, "We love because he first loved us." When we truly experience God's love, it changes us. It casts out fear and replaces it with love – love for God and love for others. This is how people recognize true disciples of Jesus, not by their doctrine or good deeds, but by their love for one another (John 13:34-35). *

            Once again I tap into the sermon of Pastor Boekell. Let’s take a look at John 13:34-35 (NLT) and expound on it, shall we? 

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

In a world where hate is on the rise, love wins out. Love always wins out. Loving acts are far more impactful than hateful acts. Hate breeds resentment, anger, and retaliatory thoughts and actions. Love, on the other hand, quells anger and defuses resentment. Even when hate appears on the surface to win over love, the power of love enters into the hateful mindset and changes it eventually to see thru loving eyes. It may not always happen that way, but considering where the very nature of love comes from, it stands to reason that love is far more powerful than hate. The visual results of hate are plain to see as it destroys that which surrounds it; however, love constructs positive, lasting feelings of peace and contentment. That is something hate can never do.

Hate stems from a level of fear, but love blossoms from a root of divinity, in that it originates with God. God IS love. His very nature is based on a foundation of love. Love isn’t something that He created, it’s something that He IS. It’s not an easy thing to comprehend, but it IS something you can feel. True love is found in God, yet millions of people, hell bent on disrupting God’s plan for mankind, seeks to destroy all vestiges of true love.

History cannot be changed. What happened 2000 years ago cannot be erased. Christ was born, lived, and died for you and no amount of hate can ever change that. Do you believe that this Advent Season? Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

·       The portion in red at the top is from a sermon called “The True Meaning of Christmas: A Love That Transforms”, December 22nd, 2024, by Pastor Paul Boekell.