in Today's World
1 John 4:7-12 (The Message)
God Is Love
7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!For Reflection
How do you define love? We are not talking romance novel love here! Although romantic love is a gift from God, it is only a small portion of the power of God's gift -- the ability to love deeply and in a sustaining way. I love ice cream. But, is that the same as loving one's neighbor as one's self? Love is an action. Think of the times that you did things out of love? How did it give purpose to your life? How did you experience hope. In what way did you embrace sacrifice as a condition of loving?
Pray That you love deeply. Pray that the love you express is rooted in God's love for you. Revel in God's love and pass it on.
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