12/19/2024

Read: 1 John 4:9-10 - "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Reflect: The idea of love in our culture has been twisted and greatly diminished. Our world would say that love is a feeling of deep affection for another person, or an exciting attraction, or even when you think “I can’t live without them.” But the reality of love -- as God would define it -- is much different. Love is sacrifice. The Lord showed us His love in the sending of His only Son, to be persecuted and crucified that we might live through Him. He sent Jesus to be a sacrifice, that we might be freed from our sin and have a renewed relationship with Him. Our world finds the idea of sacrificial love suffocating, foolish, limiting. That you can’t possibly be happy by giving up your desires. But God is so much wiser than Man. He knows and proclaims the truth: it is only through sacrifice that we can access a much deeper and satisfying love than we imagine. Real love is not about how much I receive, but how much I give. And God gave more than anyone has ever given in love. And to go further, He loved us before we ever loved Him, while we were still His enemies. There is no truer love than the love God has for each one of us.

Respond: Ask the Lord to help you redefine love on His terms. Remember how much He gave for you, and that this is a demonstration of His awesome love! Thank Him for loving you even before You loved Him.