Before reading this post I recommend that you read 1 John 4:7-21. These verses have taught me a lot the past few weeks and I pray they can be used to encourage you to allow the love of God to greatly impact your life.1 John 4:7-21 uses the word “love” 24 times. It starts with the command, “love one another” stating that “love comes from God”. In fact, “God is love” (verse 8;16). God manifested His love to us by sending His Son, Jesus, to be the “atoning sacrifice for our sins” (verse 10).
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
– 1 John 4:11 NIV
Therefore, since God has filled our lives with love through Jesus and the Holy Spirit love is what should pour out of our lives in the way we interact with others. Here’s an obvious example: if I were to fill an empty cup with water, only water will pour out. The same with love. God wants to fill your life with love and if you allow Him to do just that, love will overflow e out of your own life.
Since God, Himself is the love we are filling our lives with Him. That is why verse 12 says, “if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” Being a child of God is, in essence, experiencing love- “love being made complete in us.” The best way to experience/grow close to God is to rely on His love.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
– 1 John 4:16 NIV
The benefit of this reliance or dependence is confidence. Confidence and assurance of our faith that brings eternal joy.
“We write this to make our joy complete.”
– 1 John 1:4 NIV
Further yet, there is another benefit love has in our lives: it overpowers the sin that we’re born with! When our cup is filled with love- with Christ- God will see us as righteous. Yes, even as believers, we still battle with sin, but, love drives out the punishment of sin! We will never measure up to God’s perfect standards, however, through love (God’s love toward us not ours toward Him (1 John 4:10)) we will be “made perfect”.
What are you filling your cup with, fear or love? Through reliance on love allow God to drive out the fear in your life today. Then, let your cup overflow to the people around you.
“We love because he first loved us.”
– 1 John 4:19 NIV
L.I.F.E. – – – Live Intently For Eternity
Life is not about living for ourselves, it is about living, earnestly, in light of what He did for us.
The LIFE Blog 
Awesome and Amen. Thank you Caden for sharing. Defiantly what God has been speaking to me. He has used this blog to confirm what’s He’s doing in my life. Keep being obedient to Him and yes please keep blogging.
LikeLike