DECEMBER 5, 2014
Human
Chess
Read: 1
John 4:7-12
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God. —1
John 4:7
Chess is an ancient
game of strategy. Each player begins with 16 pieces on the chessboard with the
goal of cornering his opponent’s king. It has taken different forms over the
years. One form is human chess, which was introduced around ad 735 by Charles
Martel, duke of Austrasia. Martel would play the game on giant boards with real
people as the pieces. The human pieces were costumed to reflect their status on
the board and moved at the whim of the players—manipulating them to their own
ends.
Could this human
version of the game of Chess be one that we sometimes play? We can easily
become so driven by our goals that people become just one more pawn that we use
to achieve them. The scriptures, however, call us to a different view of those
around us. We are to see people as created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26).
They are objects of God’s love (John 3:16) and deserving of ours as well.
The apostle John
wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). Because God first loved us,
we are to respond by loving Him and the people He created in His image.
Open my eyes, Lord, to people around me,
Help me to see them as You do above;
Give me the wisdom and strength to take
action,
So others may see the depth of Your love.
—Kurt DeHaan
People
are to be loved, not used.
Insight
The apostle John wrote
today’s memorable words about love to a church struggling with the influences
of false teachers. The words of verses 7-12 follow his instructions in verses
1-6 about identifying false teachers and false teaching (mainly by their view
of Jesus). These verses indicate that love for God and for others is a key test
for identifying those who truly follow Christ. Therefore, it is no surprise
that John emphasizes the Christian characteristic of love. In today’s passage,
he says that we ought to love one another, and in his gospel he records Jesus’
words, “By this, all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for
one another” (John 13:35). How we treat one another is a demonstration of our
love for God.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012