[Truth & Love] the PracticeSample

A Community of Truth and Love

What separates us as believers from the entire world is our personal, loving relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and our loving relationship with other believers.

Truth is the foundation for that love. All of us who share the truth share the same love. Those who base their lives on truth and love produce great joy around them and in Heaven.

The truth is a person - Jesus the Messiah. If you have trusted Christ, you know the truth, and the first truth we know is that He loves us. But it doesn’t stop there; out of that love, we are empowered to love those who know the truth and to be loved in return.

Even when persecution of the church began after Christ’s ascension, believers somehow identified with each other because of this love. They could recognize their brother or a sister in Christ amid persecution—and that was unbelievable! It gave the early church great encouragement to know that someone who understood, walked alongside them, believed with them, and stood firm with them!

Just think for a moment what a place the church would be if we all understood the special, divine bond between us!

John states that the truth abides in us. Abide here means to take action, obey, understand the teaching, and act upon it.

The truth abides in us and will be with us forever. Since Christ is eternal, so are we because love endures forever (1 Corinthians 13:8, 13). When we pass from this world and see Him face to face, we will see the embodiment of truth and love together in one person. He is the one who indwells us today - individually and as a body of Christ on earth.

From having truth and love in our lives, we receive grace, mercy, and peace.

● Grace is unlimited favor; it is the blessing of his undeserved love freely given to us.

● Mercy is God’s compassion; it is faithfulness and forgiveness lavished upon us, though we don’t deserve it.

● Peace is His well-being, His wholeness.

The source of all these is God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Did you know you get all of this by abiding in Christ and His truth and loving othersr?

Lord, I thank You that You make the community of the church possible when we live in the truth of Christ and love one another. Help us to enjoy the blessings of Your grace, mercy, and peace.