Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse'  Day 283

October 10;    I John 3:23;      233/260(IV);      ‘Believe and Love’

1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

Christianity is not difficult.  The Lord Jesus does not make it hard.  To become a Christian, we are to believe the Gospel message that Jesus Christ died on a cross, taking our sins and the punishment for our sins upon Himself.  God the Father forgave us through Jesus, but requires us to make Jesus the Lord of our life because of what Jesus willingly did for us. Once we are born again, the Bible teaches that God’s love is deposited into our spirit by the Holy Spirit who comes to live in our spirit when we accept the Lord Jesus.  God’s love is very different from human, fickle love.  The love the Holy Spirit deposits into our spirit has the capacity to love everyone.  We still musts choose to do it, but once we do and respond to others with the love of God, that love manifests in our lives in a powerful way.  The Father wants us to believe on Jesus and be saved because He loves us and wants us with Him forever.  The Father also wants us to love one another because love never fails.  When we treat others with God’s love, that love is so powerful that it makes a very real impact on the lost and is very often the catalyst to bring the lost to Jesus.  The Lord wants us to love one another for another reason as well.  Harboring bitterness and hatred in your heart towards another person hurts you physically and spiritually as well.  When we, as Christians treat others exactly as the lost treat them, there is no incentive for the lost to turn to Jesus.  The unsaved look at us as hypocrites. Treating them with God’s love opens their heart to Him.