1 John 5 – The Kingdom Sports Blog

The Motivation of Love

When my son Josh was younger, I recall introducing him to basketball. Though I played football in college, basketball was the sport I loved more than others. I spent the next two decades coaching basketball, including teaching my son the fundamentals. I was his elementary coach, middle school, and eventually his high school coach.

Though I introduced him to the game by giving him a basketball and showing him how to shoot a basketball, his love for the game caused him to become a gym rat. I can’t begin to count the number of times I rebounded the ball while he perfected his sharpshooting skills. For my son, teaching him basketball was one way of showing my son I loved him and wanted to spend time with him.

How we spend our time with God and show love to others demonstrates our love for Him. Growing up playing sports, you have to learn to love everyone on the team. So it is in the family of God. Love for other believers is one of the critical identifiers of those on His team.

John summarizes 1 John by encouraging his readers to lives of faith, love, and obedience. John speaks about these three spiritual birthmarks that identify people who are in the family of God. Prayer is one way to show our love for God and act on our love for one another (1 John 14-15).

The Kingdom Coach & Athlete are motivated to love others because of their love for Jesus. This is a genuine desire to obey God’s commandment to love one another because of His sacrifice for us.

Journal Entry

Journaling helps you understand and respond to the Bible. As you journal, use the acronym HEAR which stands for highlight, explain, apply, and respond to what you have read in the reading plan.

H – Highlight

E – Explain

A – Apply

R – Respond

Bible Memory Verse

This blog includes a Scripture memory verse. There are many methods for memorizing the Bible, but I have found that using a pack of index or blank business cards works best for me. If you write the verse on a card, you can pull it out during the day and meditate or recite it.

1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Click HERE for Kingdom Sports Minute on Prudence