1 John 4:19: We love because He first loved us.

You might be fond of the popular saying, “You can’t give what you don’t have.” This has proven to be true in many ways, and it is also true when we think about loving others. The Bible is filled with scriptures that tell us to show love to others. We also see Jesus Himself exemplify love to all who came in contact with Him and yet for some of us the idea of showing love still feels foreign.

The Bible tells us “We love because He first loved us.” This means that even though showing love and care for others might not always be our natural first thought; we have the ability and capacity to do this. This scripture in 1 John 4:19 is a beautiful reminder from God that we can love others because He loved us. I know sometimes the love of God is hard to grasp; it is hard to imagine or fathom the depth of His love for us.

Going back to my opening quote “You can’t give what you don’t have,” if we don’t fully understand and embrace the love Christ has for us it will be harder to show love to others. Our ability to love others must come from a place of understanding the way we have been loved by Christ.

Today I want you to take a few moments and meditate on what the love of God means to you. I want you to remind yourself that God is madly in love with you, and He loved you despite your flaws. It is a type of love we can never imagine and honestly, that is the kind of love He gives; the indescribable, unconditional type of love. This is why the Bible tells us in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Today, as you are reminded of this truth, enjoy listening to this song by Naomi Raine titled “I am loved” and be reminded that you are so loved by God, He knows you, He sees you and He loves you.

Read and Meditate:

-Romans 8: 35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-John 8: 31-32

31 To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Write:

1. What is God saying to me?

2. What are things in my mind that limit me from fully accepting the love of God?

Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for Your love for me. Thank You for reminding me today that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate me from Your love. Thank You for this unconditional love You pour on me daily. Please help me remember Your Word when the enemy tries to fill my mind with lies and help me to spend time in Your Word so I will know for myself what You say about me.

Listen:

I am loved by Maverick City Music

All that I am

All that I have

Is beautifully made by Your hands

There are no questions

There is no doubt

That you look at me and feel proud

You're not embarrassed, you're not ashamed

You stand in wonder of what You've made

I am loved, I am loved by You

I am loved, I am loved by You

I am loved, I am loved by You

Music:

Listen

1 John 4:11: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

There is beauty in knowing that we are loved by God but there is also beauty in knowing that it doesn’t stop there. The opening verse for today tells us that if we are loved by God there is a response to that love and what that love should then prompt us to do. The love of Christ towards us is not simply for us, this Bible verse is pointing us toward others.

This same verse in 1 John 4 verse 21 says whoever loves God must also love his brother. This verse is still reminding us that our love for God and His love for us is not meant to be limited or self-centered, but it is meant to cause us to take action toward showing forth His light to others.

Mathew 5:16 says In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. God’s love for us should cause us to love others and in turn point back to Him. The love of God is one that shines light into the darkness of our lives, when we show forth His love, we are showing forth His light to the dark world and pointing people back to Him.

I have heard of many stories where a person comes to the knowledge of Christ, not by someone preaching to them or reciting bible verses but because they felt the love of Christ. I will speak more about this in the coming days, but for now, I want you to be reminded that the love of Christ that has brought light to your life is meant to shine bright on others. Your candle was not lit for you alone it was lit to shine light to others and point them back to Christ.

Read and Meditate:

Read: Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

John 15:8

8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Write:

1. What is God saying to me?

Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me today that I am not saved for myself. Please help me remember that I am Your light in the world and please help me to not hide but to remember that I am a reflection of Your Glory. Holy Spirit please renew and transform my life daily to embrace this truth and live it out.

Daily Prompt:

Think of someone whose birthday just passed or is coming up and buy a small gift.

John 15:13- Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

One story I am always so amazed by when I read it is the story of the paralytic man and his four friends in Luke 5:17. The reason this story always stands out to me is not about the highlight of the miracle but for the commitment of the men. I always say the Bible sometimes leaves some details out so we can only infer a few things about them.

We can say they were kind, compassionate, empathetic, committed and determined to help their friend in need. We don’t know how close each of them was to this paralytic man, but we do know that they showed up and they put their love for the man into action.

Some Bible translations don’t describe the men as his friends, but we can assume this about them by their level of dedication to the matter. When they couldn’t find a way, they made a way, and it was their faith, not that of the paralytic man, that drew the attention and headline of Jesus.

The lesson to take from the example of these four men, is to build a life-giving community of other people around you. God has not made us to do life alone; we were made to be communal people and we are meant to lean on one another for help. I can imagine if the friends were only focused on meeting Jesus themselves and didn’t care about the man; he would never have been healed. Who is God calling you to help today?

Read and Meditate:

Luke 5: 17-20

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

Write:

1. Lord who have you placed in my life for me to help in this season?

Pray:

Dear Lord, please help me to be aware of You and who You have placed around me. You have reminded me that You love me and because of Your love for me You want me to love others. Please help me to be aware of who You have placed along my path to help. Just like the paralytic man had friends to carry him when he needed help, please help me to not just speak of Your love in my life but to allow Your love to propel me to go out of my way to be of helps when others need it.

Daily Prompt:

Call someone you have not spoken to in the past month or quarter.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

We meditated on the Bible passage from Matthew 5:14-16 on day 2. One of the things that stands out to me from it is when the Bible speaks of light, it speaks of not hiding our light and shining before “others” so they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. The word of emphasis is “others.”

God intends for us to be in communion and fellowship with others. He wants us to be able to sharpen each other and grow with one another. We should never take for granted the people God has put around us at our workplaces, in our families, and even in our church. I often feel like the community within church is one we don’t realize is so instrumental in our journey of life.

The book of Hebrews 10:24-25 says “and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” I genuinely believe there is so much beauty and blessing that comes from us leaning into our church community and the people God has put around us.

You might be saying well, I don’t have any relationships yet with the people at my church, the key word being “yet.” But that could change, and even more, you have the ability to change that. If you serve in a church, the team you serve on is your community. If you don’t serve yet, consider joining a small group. God wants us to be connected; that is why the verse for today speaks about us bearing one another’s burdens; we can only do this within the context of relationships. Even Jesus saw the value of community and even though He engaged with large multitudes He always moved in small groups.

Lean into a team to serve on, or a small group today and choose to be love and light in there. Choose to sharpen others as the Bible encourages us to do and you will be surprised where it leads. I know many people who have leaned into the power of communion in community at our local church and have found their closest friends who have become like family and who continue to stir them in faith and encourage them. We need each other is a line from a Sanctus Real song, but it is the truth of our life journey as well. God has called us to love Him and love others; community is a beautiful place to start, lean in today.

Read and Meditate:

John 13: 34-35

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Acts 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Write:

1. In what other ways can I be an intentional part of the community within my church?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for showing me Your example of the importance of community and fellowshipping with Your church. Thank You for drawing me to my local church and helping me be rooted here. Please help me to lean into community within my church, please show me areas I could be more plugged in and help me remember that I am to radiate Your love and light within the teams or small groups I am in. Holy Spirit help me to grow and find true community in these groups and help me to also be intentional about pouring into others.

Daily Prompt:

Talk to someone at church this Sunday. To take if further, challenge yourself over the next month that you will stay behind for 15 extra minutes and engage with someone

Listen:

We need each other by Sanctus Real

CLICK HERE

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Isn’t that just wonderful to think about? We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God’s possession. This is a verse recited a lot within churches and if we take the first portion alone without the second, we will feel empowered and excited about who we are but without the later part of this verse it loses a bit of context. We are these things no matter what yes, but there is a purpose to which these things are highlighted which is for us to “proclaim the excellencies of God.” For us to live as those who have been saved, changed, and called out of darkness into light.

So back to the question from day 1, our response then is to “proclaim.” When we read this, it can feel daunting and overwhelming that idea of us proclaiming to some means standing on a bus and preaching to people (which is good for those who can) but the question is what does proclaiming Gods excellencies look like in other ways? I have found it is no burden at all; it is simply living the changed and transformed life worthy of the sacrifice made for us. The Bible says in Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word ‘Love’: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It all boils down to loving God and loving others.

In a lot of ways our ability to show the love of Christ in our daily relationships especially outside of the church is a way to “proclaim” His excellencies. When we live as transformed people, His love through us becomes a beaming light, a witness to those who are not in faith and this action of love points people back to Him. This might look like being more aware in your workplace or your neighborhood to the need of others.

At a recent prayer and praise night that happened at our church, I heard a great testimony a member shared of their neighbors who were going through a divorce and were going to sell their home. He saw a for sale sign and after engaging the neighbor in conversation he realized their divorce was why they decided to sell their home. This member and his wife decided to pray actively for their neighbor and his wife and then also decided to start talking with them separately about reconciliation. In addition, they also paid for some marriage counselling sessions for them while they continued to pray. After some time passed, they realized the for-sale sign was no longer there and the couple eventually told them they reconciled. Wowwwwww, I was so blown away and personally challenged by this testimony. This member truly understands what it means to live and be the light of God wherever we are. But you know what stood out to me the most in this story, this member would not have been able to engage their neighbor at all about their marital issues if they had not already developed a cordial relationship with them.

What does this mean for you and I? We need to not only think we have to evangelize as our first step, but we can also allow the love of Christ be a witness to a person and through witnessing the Spirit of God will open up ways of us to evangelize at the right time. It is easy to see things go wrong around us and feel paralyzed by bad news and feel like God is not stepping in. But like the Matthew West song says “Do Something.” We are reminded that while God may not come down to earth to change things, He has us here as His hands and feet to be the change and intercede for others and show His love. So be intentional about engaging with others you typically don’t engage with; develop cordial relationships with your neighbors, someone that lives in your apartment building, maybe the concierge at the front desk of your building, or a coworker. Open your mind up to the reality that you are an image bearer, and you carry His light and He wants to show His light to others in the world through you. Be intentional this year about proclaiming God everywhere you go by showing His love and let that be a light that draws others out of darkness.

Read and Meditate:

John 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 13: 34-35

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Write:

1. What is God saying to me?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for calling me out of darkness into Your light, thank You for reminding me that I am made in Your image and made to reflect Your light in the world. Help me to walk in love and help me to be aware at all times that You are working through me. I realize I am Your hands and feet here on earth, please help me to walk in the knowledge of this and to never stop being in awe of this privilege. Lastly Lord, please help me to be intentional this year about stepping outside my comfort zone with engaging with people You have put around me daily and help me to be sensitive to Your spirit to know where they have needs and ways to proclaim Your excellencies and shine Your light.

Daily Prompt:

Make a list of areas you can engage with in one of the categories mentioned (neighbors, someone that lives in your apartment building, the concierge at the front desk of your building, or a coworker) and decide which one category you will be intentional about this month.

Listen:

Matthew West “Do Something”

CLICK HERE

Philippians 2:13: for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

We are on the final day of the devotional, and I trust the Spirit of God has been speaking to your heart and helping you see practical ways you can be His love and light in the world. On this final day I want to leave you with a reminder that our ability to show love to others comes from a place of our personal relationship with God. We don’t just will ourselves to be love but our love comes from Him. So, as you continue on this year, be intentional about building your relationship with God and be reminded of His Love for you. You can’t love from an empty place so fill yourself daily with so much of Him and it will radiate to others.

Exodus 34:29 says, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” Moses was effortlessly radiating, shining light, reflecting God because he had been with Him, let our love and light be reflected to other from an active relationship with Him through quiet times, prayer, the word, and worship.

God then works through us to the world He loves; this is why we have to be intentional about leaning into the Spirit of God for how to navigate our relationships. The verse for today reminds us that it is God who works in us to will and act in order to fulfill His purpose. So, you don’t have to try to be like anyone else; just be yourself and be open to the leading of His Spirit on how He wants to show love in you and through you and be willing to go out of your comfort zone and make sacrifices where needed. So, whether in our relationship with ourselves, or our church community, or coworkers, or neighbors, or strangers, it is God who is working in us and through us to ultimately fulfill His purpose and bring Glory to Him and point others back to Him.

Read and Meditate:

Matthew 4:16

The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

Read: Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Write:

1. What is God saying to me?

Prayer:

Thank You Lord, for taking me through this 6 day journey. Thank you for reminding me that I am not saved to live a secluded life but that I am a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Help me to always remember that You love me and help me to show Your love and be Your light to the world around me.

Daily Prompt:

In your private prayer time, intentionally pray for someone you know that is going through something. Keep in mind this doesn’t have to be someone you know personally; it could be based on a prayer request you have heard someone else bring up or a need you have seen.

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