Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read 1 John 4:7-12
On the first day of class, a Bible professor at Candler gave each of us a new box of Crayola coloring crayons and instructed us on how to mark words in passages in his course. For example, when a word was repeated, he told us to highlight it in orange (in no way related to college football, as he was from Alabama, and his favorite color was crimson). In today’s six verses, forms of the word “love” would be highlighted in orange 13 times! I can hear the professor telling me to notice how very important this word is in the meaning of the passage. It is the theme and the key point!
John is telling us that we are to love others because we are Christians, and we follow God. God IS love! Loving others is sometimes easy, because some people are just easy to love. They are nice, kind, humble, and perhaps even affectionate to us. But others are not at all easy to love. And the love we are encouraged here to show is not just a feeling or an emotion. Rather it is a way of life…giving, serving, standing up for justice, and even suffering for others. Why? Because God first loved us, and if God is in us, we love others, even and especially the ones that are not so easy to love.
Personal Worship Option:
Pray that you will be able to love someone today that you do not like. Pray for them. Live in such a way that others see God’s love in the way you love others. This is not easy! Amen.
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