Contemplative Bible Reading

1 John 4:7-8 (New International Version)

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

I see a promise and a challenge here. First the promise, love comes from God. If I know God, I have love in me; I have an unlimited capacity to love God and love my fellow man. God has given me the capacity to obey the two greatest commands (love God and love man).

What a wonderful promise. What a wonderful gift. I no longer have to ask myself, “Do I have enough love in me to love that person over there whom the world sees as unlovable?” I know I have enough in me.

Now the challenge in verse 8. If I do not love; if I do not love that unlovable person over there, I do not know God. If I do not know God, what am I doing reading the New Testament? What am I doing believing that I am a Christian? Why am I wasting all my time and effort.

I need to love the unlovable. I need to love when others treat me unfairly. I need to love or else I cannot claim to know God.

If I do not know God, will He then know me? Will he claim me?

The promise: God has given me enough love for whatever situation and whatever person.

The challenge: love or I really don’t know God.