John is not identifying a quality which God possesses; it is not simply that God loves, but that he is love Therefore, to imagine that God does not love us is to deny his true nature, to repudiate his character. This Divine love cannot be earned; it cannot be deserved. It is love for our fellow believers that John puts forward as irrefutable evidence of the new birth. Its absence, whatever a person's pretensions may be, indicates that he has no true personal knowledge of God. So we are dependent upon God to love others. v7 clarifies for us where our source lies - Love comes from God. He is as much its source as he is the source of all true light.

Every Christian has a new destiny. We have passed from death to life. The reason we know it is that we love our brothers. This life is eternal not only in that it is everlasting, but in that it is the life of God within us. God is the only source of life, light and love and this is to be the obvious outworking of His spirit within us. The reality of my gratitude for my deliverance from this death is evidenced by how much I love my brothers and sisters. This is not something we just talk about but it by its nature is something we do.

The woman's love and gratitude is evidence of how great her 'debt' has been, and how in turn, how great the Lord's forgiveness is. The formal religion of the Pharisees had no real answer to the problem of sin, and could only respond with disapproval and condemnation. But Jesus could actually do away with sin, and in this deepest sense bring salvation and peace. Here in lies our motivation to love deeply.

Luke Chapter 6 challenges us to live a life according to our calling. Loving not just our neighbour, but also to love our enemies. Further to that we are not to judge others but to forgive. This is what is to come out from a heart given over to God. Obedience is the key. We are called to obey the leading of God spirit in all these things and make them a part of our daily lifestyle.

Testimony

Enjoying the presence of Jesus is a natural response as an act of love. But it's more than just coming to Him as an act of trust, we are to keep journeying with Him as an act of Faith ! His desire is for us to grow. Jesus wants us to gather around Him but in so doing, it's just a matter of time before He starts to challenge our thinking.

Jesus shares his mission. He will bring about a message of Good News. We are called to a life of freedom, joy, hope and love. You would imagine that this is good news for all people; however, some decide to turn their back on Jesus. We are first to receive the message and then proclaim it in word and deed.