Devotion:
Read 1 John 4:9-12.
These verses are one of the best summaries of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all of the Bible. The writer is in the midst of encouraging the people to whom he is writing to love each other. He reminds them, and us, why we are to do that: It is what God has done for us. Even more, it is the core of who God is and what God is all about.
God gave us the gift of love and personalized it through sending his Son into the world. We got to experience the love of God through the life and teaching, the death and resurrection of Jesus. He showed us what this love looks like in everyday life, in relationships with people from all walks of life.
Throughout Advent, we have been examining these gifts that God has given us and emphasizing that we are not just to keep them for ourselves, but are to pass them along to as many people as we can. That’s exactly what this writer is doing in this passage. God has gifted us with love; now we are to share this gift with others. Anytime you are wrestling with whether you can love a particular person, remember who gave you that gift in the first place.
Personal Worship Option:
Morgan Walker and Hilly Michaels wrote these words as part of a popular contemporary song. Perhaps they could be your prayer as well.
Help me to love with open arms like You do.
A love that erases all the lines and sees the truth.
Oh that when they look in my eyes, they would see You.
Even in just a smile; they would feel the Father’s love.
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