Gfly Intro | Where did Gfly come from?
When I created my Instagram alias, I wanted something short, simple, and significant. Because I have a fondness for acronyms, I developed "Gfly," which originally stood for "Gaby, first love yourself" or "Girl, first love yourself."
At that time, I was not fully surrendered or walking faithfully with the Lord, but I felt a tug to generate a brand to empower women. I used to deeply admire a TV personality whose brand involved journaling, and I was inspired to do something similar. I initially wanted to be just like this personality, but God had other plans, amen.
Shortly after I was introduced to my home church and rededicated my life to God, I was led to 1 John Chapter 4. That was when I felt led by the Lord to change the meaning to "God First Loved You." While it is easy to assume this is solely based on verse 19, it is not.
It was in 1 John Chapter 2 that I first heard the word "propitiation." In Greek, it is hilasmos, found only twice in the epistle of 1 John in verses 2:2 & 4:10. Similar terms include hilasterion ("mercy seat" in Romans 3:25) and hilaskomai (Hebrews 2:17), describing it as making propitiation, which also stems from the Old Testament Hebrew word kaphar.
Propitiation stands for atonement or sacrifice. In 1 John 4, it means "a sacrifice that bears God's wrath and turns it to favor." As the perfect sacrifice for sin, Jesus turns away God's wrath.
1 John 4:7-11, 19 —
7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. . .19 We love because he first loved us."
Jesus did not die for friends or for those who loved him first (10, 19). Romans 5:10 reminds us that we were not Jesus' friends, in fact, we were his enemies, yet He still died for us! The wrath of God was poured out on his only Son for punishment of our sins. Unmerited favor and unearned righteousness is ours in Christ Jesus.
Propitiation sums up the full display of God's love. The outpouring of God's wrath was on Jesus so we would not endure it. We receive the righteousness of Christ in exchange. God's love assures us and casts out our fear of wrath — 1 John 4:18. It is His perfect love that gives us access to Him, and we should not operate in fear towards death or God's judgment.
Jesus' death was the most genuine act of love and He continually gives it to us for our good! God's love is the purest and truest existing in all time. Our response is to reciprocate it to Him and those around us. It is by grace that we ought to crucify our flesh in order to lean on His Holy Spirit, and learn to love others as He first loved us.
