Daily Bible Verse - 1 John 4:12

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

                                                            -1 John 4:12

This verse hits home and is a big part of why sometimes people (including myself) struggle with their belief. In this world we are taught from an early age to trust those we know and err on the side of caution when things we don't understand come around. After all, without being able to see or feel something, how can we trust that whatever it is is, in fact, real? This directly relates to spirituality and belief in God.

I ran across another quote today and strangely enough it fits perfectly into this topic of discussion:

Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss or dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen, but felt by the heart.

Is God not the most beautiful thing one can feel but not see? Since "no man hath seen God at any time" then faith is indeed blind and belief in Him is something that stems from feelings. Often times I asked God to make himself known and to speak to me, this of course has yet to happen and most likely will not happen until our day of judgement. It is through faith in His word that we grow closer to Him and become true believers.

The second part states that "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us." Outpouring of love to others is a sign of His work in us, however it is not enough to simply "be nice" to people and thus be truly saved and "of God." In the same breath it is not simply enough to believe in God and expect salvation.  One must truly obey God if they truly wish to be righteous and saved.

Both obedience (following) and love (God's tangible influence through one's actions) go hand in hand. If there is love and no obedience, then there is no true love, which in this case is referring to the perfection of God's love through belief in Christ.

To truly experience perfect love, one must maintain obedience to God's word and this is accomplished by steadfast trust that what we can not see is real.