Day 13- Love
I had a hard time today finding something
to focus on as I read through the rest of 1 John.
I’m pretty sure it’s because I was trying
to rush it. I ran out of time this morning, then I
got distracted by random things all afternoon. It
wasn’t until after a mini breakdown and some
sincere decision making and prayer this evening that
I found what I was looking for- love.
“We love because He first
loved us.” (1 John 4:19) It sounds
so simple, so easy, so basic, but I don’t think
most of us know it like we think we do. Love sounds
like an easy concept, but we use the word “love”
for everything- I love my husband, I love my car,
I love this outfit. I sure hope that when I say “I
love my husband” it carries much more weight
than when I say “I love my outfit.” If
it’s the same kind of love I feel for both,
I’m sure missing something huge in my life.
God doesn’t love us in a cheesy light-hearted
cartoonish kind of way. God’s love is deeper
and more personal than anything you have ever experienced
or known because God IS love (1 John
4:16). He is where it all originates; without God,
there is no love at all. And the fact that we do love
at all is not only because God is love, but because
first and foremost, He LOVES us.
He loves you, personally.
As a matter of fact He loves you so
personally and cares about you so deeply, that He
gave His life for you. We have all sinned, we’ve
all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23),
and the price of that sin is death (Romans 6:23).
But the wonderful news is that God loves you so very
much that He became flesh (Jesus) and gave His life
in place of yours. He paid our debt of sin in full.
When we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from
the dead (Romans 10:9-10), our gift is eternal life
with Him (Romans 6:23). How awesome is that?!
Jesus tells us (Matthew 22:37-40) that
all the commandments depend on two things:
1. Loving God with all your heart, soul and mind
2. Loving your neighbor
Everything depends on love. Jesus asks us to love
one another as He loves us. Sometimes I think I’m
capable of that kind of love, but other times I’m
not sure. When I was in Iraq last year visiting the
troops, I met a soldier with John 15:13 tattooed on
his arm:
Greater love has no one than this, than
to lay down one’s life for his friends.
That soldier was in a place where he
was ready to show the love that Jesus showed us. I’ll
never forget that. I know God doesn’t expect
us all to die for our neighbors, but shouldn’t
we have that kind of love for them? 1 John 3:16-18
also talks about this concept, that we know love because
Jesus laid down His life for us, so we also should
lay down our lives for our brothers. But it goes on
to explain that when we see a brother in need and
we have the ability to give and help him, we should
show the same self-sacrificial love that Jesus showed
to us by giving what we have to help that brother
in need. We shouldn’t help people because we
want to get praise from those around us, but because
we want to show the love that we have already received.
Lord,
Thank You for placing on my heart today the importance
of being in Your Word and talking with You. As I struggled
to get through today and was mad at myself for feeling
like I blew You off, You kept tugging at my heart
and brought me back to You tonight. I don’t
always enjoy the rough patches, but if they bring
me closer to You Lord, I will learn to love those
difficult times! Lord, thank You for placing on my
heart tonight the weight and magnitude of Your love
for me! I know I still have no concept of how big
and how awesome Your love is, but thank You for that
little taste tonight. God I know I love those around
me, but I don’t think I love them in the way
or capacity You do. Continue to show me this love
for those around me, open my eyes, help me to see
them through Your eyes. Thank You Jesus for loving
me enough to pay my debt of sin, for saving me from
certain death and giving me a gift of eternal life
with You! I love You Lord and want to live fully for
You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
