Morning Devotional 040425 Dwell on Love

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  April 4, 2025

1 John 3:16-24

16 This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 But if someone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but refuses to help—how can the love of God dwell in a person like that? 18 Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. 19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts in God’s presence. 20 Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence in relationship to God. 22 We receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love each other as he commanded us. 24 Those who keep his commandments dwell in God and God dwells in them. This is how we know that he dwells in us, because of the Spirit he has given us.

Good Morning. God dwells in those who believe!

To dwell has a couple of different basic meanings. 1. To live in. 2. To be settled. Spiritually, it means to direct attention to or abide in. 

Paul shares, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8-9

This week’s passages have given several reminders to seek and pay attention to God’s signs that are revealed to those who live a life in Christ. John tells us what it means to live a life in Christ so that we may dwell in God, and God may dwell in us. 

Many of John’s writings seem to go in circles. I see this as a way to affirm the goal of creating an unending relationship with God. Our relationship is the connection between us and God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

We are given the parameters by which we may enter and maintain this relationship. Proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Love God and love one another. Our love is not just saying the right words and having the right thoughts. Our love is to be evident through our actions. The world will know that we’re Christians by our love! Love of God, love of self, and love of all God’s children. 

Loving Lord, Maker of all things! The answer is simple: Love. But we put up barriers that make loving one another so hard. Open our hearts. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Go out and share God’s love!

Dwell on God’s love! Pastor Liz