God Is Love

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
(1 John 4:7-8)

Meditation

Even on Valentine’s Day, which is a day all about love, I didn’t know real love before giving my heart to Jesus. Oh, sure I loved my wife and our children. I loved my parents and extended family, but how many people did I love who hated me, who wanted to spit on me, or physically harm me? It’s was really easy for me to love those who returned my love, but what about those who didn’t? Long story made short, I didn’t. In other words, I didn’t show love to anyone who didn’t show it to me. I was really good at hating those I didn’t love, which is proof I didn’t know God.
Now, even though I am a bondservant of Jesus, I still find it hard to love those who hate me or the people and things I love. Right now, in America, political tensions are high between the Right and Left, or as I jokingly say, ‘between Right and Wrong’. I guess you can tell which side I fall on. It’s so very hard for me to see what’s happening in this country and not hate the perpetrators of our downfall. To this day, I sometimes feel justified to return harsh words for harsh words, hate for hate. I'm very disappointed with myself when I stoop to the level the Lord lifted me out of, so many years ago. I’m way too quick to forget God loves them as much as he loves me. I guess I still have a lot to learn about love, but thankfully God isn’t done working on me yet.
Every year I try to come up with a great Valentine’s Day card and gift for my sweetheart. She always gushes over whatever I get her but my gifts pale in comparison to the one the Father in heaven gave us. He proved his love by giving Jesus, a part of himself, to die a horrible death on the cross just to show us what true love is. If we claim to have received the redemption of Christ but we continue to hate anyone, our beliefs are false, and we do not know God. Like I said before, I have trouble with this, but the hate that fills my heart from time to time is a momentary flash and over almost as quickly as it comes. I’m not justifying it, I’m just saying I don’t hold in in my heart. Jesus gave us the commandment to love one another just as he loved us. If we want a real relationship with him, we must put away hatred. If you don’t yet know real love turn at once to God who is love.




Daily Prayer

Father, we thank you so much for the gift of our Savior. Jesus came to love us in ways that no one has ever loved before. Thank you, Christ Jesus, for loving us so much you were willing to die for us. We thank you for your living sacrifice and your commandments for our lives. We love you, Lord, with all our hearts. We want only to please you so, it should be pretty easy to follow your command to love one another. However, we fail all the time. We let petty differences come between us. We fall back on old prejudices we had before we turned to you and treat others poorly. Forgive us, Lord, when we behave like unbelievers. Fill us with the Holy Spirit, that we would have your love within us. Love overflowing, enough to share with everyone. Help us, all brothers and sisters in Christ, to put our differences aside and unite in our love for you and for each other. In Jesus’ name, we pray! Amen!

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