Dave's Diary

Jesus made it clear in John 13:34 that there is a higher standard of love expected of us in relation to our fellow believers than to our neighbours in general. He said, “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” 

But why should we love each other with Christlike, sacrificial love? That’s what we’re searching the Scriptures to answer this week.

Prayer before Reading:

Before you read today’s reading, join in this simple yet powerful prayer prayed by Moses in Exodus 33:18: “Lord, show me Your glory!!”

Now spend a moment quietly getting focused on the Lord’s presence before you read.

Daily Reading

Read 1 John 4:13-25

The main verses I’d like us to ponder today are:

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 

John’s point is powerful and very direct! When someone lives in a genuine love relationship with God, this inevitably overflows into a life of love towards others. We become so impacted by the love of God alive in us that loving our fellow believers comes more and more naturally to us. They are Family, and we find love for them awakening in our hearts.

We love … because … we are loved by God.

We love … because we are so impacted by God’s love that we start to see those around us with the eyes of the God who loves them just as much as He loves us. And God’s love in us changes our hearts and motivations towards them!

We love … because God has lavished His love on us so richly that it flows out of us to those around us.

Loving one another is still a choice we make; but it is a choice made increasingly natural and comfortable by the love of God that fills and changes our hearts.

Let’s join with the apostle Paul and pray for ourselves in words adapted (and personalized) from 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13:

Lord, please make Your love increase in me and overflow from me to my fellow believers and to everyone else. Please strengthen my heart in love, so that I will be blameless and holy in Your presence, my God and Father.

Contemplation:

Please take time to ponder this truth. Turn one or more of these statements over and over in your mind:

• God the Father loves me with unfailing and immeasurable love.
• God the Father constantly pours His love into me by the Holy Spirit.
• His love is more than enough for me … in fact, it is enough for me to share with everyone around me.

Heavenly Father, please let Your love overflow through me today! Amen.