Devotion:
Read 1 John 3:16-18.
Today’s Scripture teaches that love without action is not love at all. In these three verses, we see love modeled and defined for us. John uses Christ as the great example of love. His love was demonstrated by His sacrificial death on the cross. He died, not for His sins, but for our sins. His sacrificial love was so great that words cannot express it. John urges us to lay down our life for our brothers, and our sisters, and even our enemies. It is pure love when we die to our own desires and needs, to give to others. To say I love you and then give nothing of yourself, is not just an empty comment, it is deception and is meaningless.
This leads directly to its definition. Love is self-sacrifice. Following the example of Jesus, it is understood literally to give your life. But self-sacrifice can also be understood metaphorically, as a mindset that places the interests of others before one’s own. If anyone has material possessions and sees brothers or sisters in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in them? Helping the least of these is not the only application of self-sacrificial love, but it is an especially clear one. The time, talent, and treasure you would otherwise give to yourself is being sacrificially given to others. If we fail to love the poor, then God’s love has not permeated our being, and our love for Him is incomplete.
Personal Worship Option:
Dear God, let us not love only with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. What the world needs from we Christians is not more talk about love, but simply more love. Help us to love. Amen.
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