Daily Devotion, July 9, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read 1 John 4:13-21.

We continued our reading today from where we left off yesterday. Our writer continues this focus on the love of God being the primary test by which you can know someone belongs to God. He says that the more we grow in the love of God, the less we will fear whatever we encounter in this world. When we reach perfection in this love, it will drive out all fear from us.

One of the greatest statements in all of the Bible is verse 19: “We love because he first loved us.” We are reminded of our motivation to love God and love people. It is because God took the initiative to love us, even when we humans had severed our relationship with God, it was God who provided the way for our relationship to be restored. Even when we were (are) unlovable, God still loved (loves) us. (That includes you and me and everybody else.)

Then he returns to the focus on loving one another. He is specifically referring to Christians loving each other. We all have encounters in the Church with Christians who may say or do something that hurts our feelings or who have different ways of thinking and believing than we do. They can be hard to love. (Sounds like being in a family.) John reminds us not to let the seed of hurt feelings or differences grow into hatred. God loves us, no matter what. May we all grow in learning to do the same.

Personal Worship Option:

Consider this prayer or one like it in your own words:

God of love, thank you so much for loving me and everybody else. Help me grow in your love, so that I can love others more and more like you. I want people all around me to be able to see your love through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.