One of my husband’s favorite movies is “The Hunt for Red October”. The scene I am reminded of in the movie was the tenuous moment the submarine needed to hide from the enemy’s sonar detection. The sub’s commander kept ordering his people to go deeper. “But can the sub handle the pressure?” Go deeper still! Better to go deeper than to be destroyed by the enemy! Once in the depths of the sea, they didn’t move a muscle or make a sound. They took safety in the deep. The risk of going deep was worth it! They were saved!

John’s battle cry to us is to go deeper in God’s Love to live deeply in Christ! Don’t follow the enemy! Don’t let anyone divert you from the Truth! “It’s the person who ACTS right who is right.” To go deep in God’s love is to love fellow believers, our brothers and sisters, for if we don’t, we are not of God. For God is love. Is it risk? Yes, but worth it. Every time.

“For this is the original message we heard: We should love each other.” 1 John 3, Msg

“The way that we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3, Msg

“This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.”
1 John 3, Msg

“My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love.” 1 John 3, Msg

Dear Heavenly Father, Our desire is go deeper in our love for You and for others. Help us take our eyes off self, look to You and then see others’ needs more clearly. Then help us express Your love through our actions. Thank you for Your Words of love and care for us this morning. Forgive us when the need was there but we turned a cold shoulder. Help us always to be alert to Truth. In Jesus Name, Amen