SYW Day 5: My God
Reading: I John 4:7-21
I John 4:7-12
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
Devotional
Some say that God is like a father, and that our relationship with our own father will deeply affect the way we perceive God. Others say that Jesus is like a best friend, someone we can always turn to and who “has our back” no matter the circumstance. The Holy Spirit is sometimes overlooked, but our perception of Him is usually a reflection of how we see God moving in the world today: is He distant or intimately involved? A gentle whisper or a rushing wind?
God is called Abba (Daddy), King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Yaweh, the Alpha and Omega, and Adonai among many other names. Jesus is called the Messiah, Christ, the Son of God, our Redeemer and a dozen more. The Holy Spirit is the Breath of the Almighty, Counselor, Comforter, and simply, the Spirit. According to one source, there are over 950 distinct names and references to all three persons of the Trinity in the Bible. It’s a lot to take in. Our understanding of the triune God—who He is, how He works in the world, and what He has planned for us—is something that shapes us and the way we live.
People have debated who God is for centuries, and it’s true that God is wonderfully complex and incomprehensible. However, if someone asks you who God is, I hope that the very first words out of your mouth are: God is love. And “if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”
We see God’s love perfected in the joy of the children at Christ Our Hope, Christ Our Hope North, and Abundant Life. Though their life circumstances are difficult to say the least, they rejoice in the Lord—and their joy overflows. We see God’s love perfected in the peace of the AVDC pastors as they minister to their congregations and preach the good new of Jesus in Muslim communities where their very lives are threatened. We see God’s love perfected in the patience of the teachers of the Vine School System of Christ, who meet the daily needs of their students and manage their classrooms with compassion and grace. We see God’s love perfected in the kindness of Aunties and Mothers, Uncles and Fathers who meet the needs of the kids in our children’s homes—and offer them unconditional love. We see God’s love perfected in the goodness of the farmers at the AVDC farm who seek to cultivate fruitful crops and build a business model full of integrity. We see God’s love perfected in the faithfulness of our supporters and donors, who give sacrificially so that our friends in Liberia may live abundant lives and continue to spread the gospel in West Africa.
We feel so blessed to see the Fruit of the Spirit (God’s love!) manifest every day in the lives of everyone involved in ministry with One Body One Hope. From the newest member of our children’s homes to the longest serving donor, we make up a beautiful body that reflects the image of God Himself.
Further Thought
Who do you think God is?
What has shaped your understanding of him?
And, how are you living out His love in your life today?