1 Peter 1:17-23
17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person’s work, live in fear during the time of your exile. 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual affection, love one another deeply from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
…love one another deeply from the heart.
All ya need is love – da da da da da… It’s a bit trite, but it’s actually true.
It was God’s desire for someone to LOVE that led God to create human beings.
It was God’s desire to be nearer to those that God LOVES that brough Jesus into the world.
It was Jesus’ great love for us that carried him through his crucifixion. AND
It was God’s perfect love that raised Jesus from the dead, destroying the power of death over us forever.
All ya need is love…
Therefore, we must also love one another deeply from the heart. That means seeing every human being as one of God’s beloved children. It means forgiving each other 70 x 7 times and then starting the count all over again. It means that we place the needs of every other child of God before our own – that we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.
All ya need is love…
Prayer: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. AMEN