1 minute read
It has been said that "Love makes the world go around."
But, what is love...really? How can I love ice cream, and also love my mom? That isn’t the same type of love.
Scripture tells us that the greatest and most important commandment is to "love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself"
Advertisement
(Matthew 22:37-39). This means we should:
1. Love God
2. Love other people
God's love for us is perfect. It is unconditional, unchanging, sacrificial, and we can't earn it. God loves us...and He couldn't love us any more or any less. This is the power we need to be able to love others. God’s love sustains us. It helps us know we are loved no matter what! This gives us the secure hearts to love those around us. So we have to start here. First we have to realize we are loved by God, and love Him.
The Bible tells us in 1 John 3:19 that "we love because He first loved us." Jesus went first! He shows us examples all over the Bible of how to love others. We can’t just decide to be really loving people any more than we can decide to like a vegetable we’ve always avoided! We need a bigger reason. God gives us that reason by showing that He would give up his own son to save us. This is His love that went first. This is how we get our hearts ready to love others. Jesus loved us, so we are free to love others.
In both of these situations love is an action verb. It is something we DO. We love God, and we love others.
Take a few minutes to think of specific examples…things you can actively DO to love today.
What can you DO today to remind your heart of your love for God? How can you grow that love?
What can you DO today to show your classmates love? How can you show more love to your family at home?
Father, thank you for loving us. You went first to show us the way to love others.
Thank you Jesus for showing us through your life how we can love other people.
Help us see your love for us in creation, in our families, in our friends, and in your word. Let our hearts be filled with your love so we can love others around us. Amen.
