Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 1 John 4:7-21

Highlight Verse:

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I just finished reading a novel about a “Christian” group that had isolated themselves from the rest of the world in order to stay pure. (The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachel Dekker)

They concentrated on purity and following the rules to the letter that they had lost sight of love.

It could be said that they lost sight of God.

I’m not trying to criticize any particular group.

I do want to point out that when we put rules before love, we miss the point.

Parents set rules because they love their kids and want the best for them.

Ideally, kids obey their parents out of love and respect.

God gave us the BIBLE (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) because he knows what’s best for us and loves us enough to tell us. In fact, He loves us even when we don’t follow the rules, though His heart breaks because of the way we harm ourselves.

The bottom line is this – God is love.

Let’s put love first.

What motivates you to follow God’s commands?
If you are a parent, what motivates you to set rules for your kids?