child and how important being loved was. How has being loved shaped your life? As I write this, our granddaughter is almost a year old and loves to give her doll hugs. It does not take long for a child to understand something unique about hugs and love.
Love did not begin with us but with God. 1 John 4:19 We love each other because he loved us first. [1] God is the source of our love. As people of faith, love for God and others is only possible because of God’s love for us. Supernaturally, the Lord fills us with His love so his love can overflow from us onto others. With God’s help, we can be a living bubbler of love. It is a beautiful feeling when the love of others overflows onto others.
Love at Work
Some time ago, I witnessed several poor small children coming into a Christian orphanage for the first time. What was so amazing was how the other children greeted them, hugged them, and expressed their love towards them. They were not only going to be taken care of, but more importantly, they were experiencing the love of God through others.
Being loved can be a great healing ointment for life’s difficulties. Love is so important that John tells us there is a direct connection between loving God and others. 1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people, we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?[2]John clarifies that we must first have a relationship with our Savior to love others. To not love others and say you love God is not compatible.
Loving One Another
How can we change the world as believers? John gives us insight. in 1 John 1:21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. [3] Loving other believers builds the church and affects the world. There is something about loving others that changes us. It is not easy to put someone else’s needs before our own and choose to sacrifice for another with a generous heart. Loving another person, praying for them instead of lashing out at them, requires God’s love working in us. Loving others is not easy, but when we surrender to the Lord, He makes the impossible possible.
Prayer
Loving God, fill my heart with the love that you freely give. Make love my first and last thoughts. May I love others and freely give to them. Make my spirit a spirit of joy, happiness, and love for my friends and enemies. Help me love as abundantly as you have loved me. Amen.[4]
To learn more about loving others, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/jesus-love
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
[4] https://dailyprayerguide.net/a-prayer-to-love-one-another-john-13-34/