Today’s reading is 1 John 4.
We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19 (ESV)
God loved us first. He didn’t wait for us to love Him. He didn’t wait for us to get to perfect love. His love produces love in us.
Perfect love casts out fear. But we are afraid we don’t love perfectly. And, of course, we don’t. How do we deal with this? By looking to God’s love.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:10-11 (ESV)
We don’t grow in love simply by trying harder to love more. We grow in love by looking to God’s love. By basking in God’s love. By soaking in God’s love. By imitating God’s love. When we meditate on God’s love, marinate our hearts and minds in God’s love, act out God’s love, we will be surprised to discover love growing in us.
When we drink in God’s Word and let the love He has shown start to dominate our thinking, meditating, remembering, and behaving, we will love. When we start to be truly amazed God loves us and truly humbled by how little we deserve it, we will start to love not only God, but others.
Praise God! He didn’t tell us if we love others better, He’ll love us. He paved the way. He established the model. He turned on the light. He said, “Watch this!” And He loved us. Now we know how to love Him and love others.
But let us always remember, He loved us first. He loved us while we were unloving. He loved us first. He loved us while we were unlovable. He loved us first. He loved us while we were enemies. He loved us first. He loved us while we were wrapped up in self love. He loved us first.
May we look to His love and learn to love as He did. We will never love God first. But may we turn to others and be willing to love first.
Next week’s reading is 1 John 5.
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PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family
What do you want to share with others from 1 John 4?
Read the Bible 