Daily D – 1 John 4:9-11

by David Bowman | Dec 20, 2023 | Daily D | 0 comments

1 John 4:9-11 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. (NLT)

—

Nicolette Larson sang a song called Lotta Love that debuted in October, 1978. Neil Young wrote the song and also recorded it. Both albums were released on the same day through an accident of the trade. Young’s version of the song was never issued as a single. Larson’s version was a hit in the USA and abroad.

The two versions of the song are quite different, even though the lyrics are the same. Young’s is wistful and protective. Larson’s is open and hopeful. Read the lyrics as simple poetry in different moods and see how each artist interpreted the song as he or she did.

It’s gonna take a lotta love
To change the way things are
It’s gonna take a lotta love
Or we won’t get too far

So if you look in my direction
And we don’t see eye to eye
My heart needs protection
And so do I

Between Silly Love Songs (Thank you Paul McCartney) and serious love songs and everything between these two points on the line, there have been a million or more love songs written, recorded, and performed. Everyone is hungry for something they have never fully experienced. We all know the want of real love. We can all know its overflow.

Christmas is an annual reminder that God loves us perfectly, provides his love inexhaustibly, and wants to express his pure love through us. His love overcomes barriers. His love redeems, restores, and renews. His love embraces every hurting heart. His love heals every broken heart. His love fills every welcoming heart.

Neil and Nicolette are right. It takes a lotta love to change the way things are. Our Father in Heaven has all we need and more now and forever. The original Christmas gift is still available to anyone and everyone. It cannot be earned. It can only be received. That’s the meaning of the Gift.

Receiving God’s Gift empowers us to join him in giving the best kind of love to those in our rings of relationships. Passing along God’s Gift to others in no way diminishes what we have received. Instead, it increases our capacity to receive and to give.

There is a whole lotta love available from God our Father through Jesus His Son and experienced through the presence of His Holy Spirit.

Need a lotta love? Receive the gift of Jesus.

—

I will receive and extend God’s gift of perfect love.

—

Our Father, thank you for the Gift of Jesus. Your perfect love is more than enough for all we need now or ever. Increase our capacity to receive all of your goodness so that we may likewise pass it along to those pondering wistful lyrics and sad songs. Amen.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Mark 9:33-37

Mark 9:33-37 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest. Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.” He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.”

Daily D – Psalm 97:11

Psalm 97:11 Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart.

Daily D – Mark 3:1-6

Mark 3:1-6 Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a shriveled hand. In order to accuse him, they were watching him closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath. He told the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand before us.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. After looking around at them with anger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians against him, how they might kill him.

Daily D – Mark 2:1-5

Mark 2:1-5 When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Daily D – Matthew 27:54

Matthew 27:54 When the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”