Camp 1...Every day this summer, the six of us program directors got together with our wonderful boss (Dan) and studied the word of God. What a sweet time that half hour was each day... just trying to understand God's love a little bit more.
1 John 3:16 says, "this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." Love is sacrifice.In this passage where it says ought, it does not mean should. It means to be bound by.
So this sacrificial love we read about is not an option. We are bound by Christ's sacrificial love to lay down our lives for others. Love is sacrifice.
As we have heard so many times, 1 Corinthians 13 says, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." When all of this is viewed in the light of Christ's sacrifice, we see better what we are called to.
We are called to love truly, deeply, and when it is inconvenient.We are called to sacrifice our rights, our pride, our selfishness for love.
We are called to all of this and more. But how?
1 John 4:7-8 tells us, "let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
There it is. Love comes from God because God is love.
And we can only love through Him with Christ as our example.
Rather we can allow Him to love through us.
Once upon a time, I had the pleasure of being a paintball referee! Neat.
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