Our scripture this morning is 1 John 4:15-16 (NET).
If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.
From the very beginning God has been within us. As part of our creation story we read “The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Paul tells us “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Jesus promised that after He returned to the Father, we would be comforted and guided by the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). We can choose to ignore God’s presence and will for us, but we can’t escape it. When we repent and accept His forgiveness we find He is right there within us, as He has always been.
Loving Lord, You made us in Your image to be Your partners in creation. We marred that image when we chose our own way instead of Your love. Forgive us and strengthen us in faith that we may share Your love with the world. Amen.
