Day 24 – HE FIRST LOVED US

I John 4:19-21: “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. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

Hmmm . . . this sounds familiar . . . Yeager Church T-shirts. What a great verse! We show our love to Him by how we worship Him, how we spend our time, and how we use the resources He blesses us with. We are called to love each other. I think there is a real question here . . . the definition of love. I believe it has gotten distorted and misused in some ways. I think many have come to think that in order to love the sinner we have to also love the sin. No we are not called to love the sin. We love ourselves and others by understanding that the law reveals the sin in our lives. Then we invite the sinner (all of us) to repentance and God’s merciful forgiveness. That is true love.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me first. Because Your grace reached me when I was far away, I can now love You in return. Pour Your perfect love into my heart today. When it is difficult, give me the strength to love those right in front of me, knowing that my love for others is the truest reflection of my love for You. Help me to be a vessel of Your grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Have a blessed day! Pr Jenny