SELF-GIVING LOVE

1 John 4:7-8 says, "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." The word "love" in the above verse refers to a self-giving love for the benefit of others. It is a sacrificial love that puts another person's needs and well-being above your own, whether the other person loves you back or not. This is a love that can only come from God. One of the reasons God created us in His own image is that He wants us to have the ability to relate to His sacrificial love. As we receive His love, we can then be able to extend His love to others, for it is the foundation of godly relationships with Him and others. As we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we experience His sacrificial love. Then, as we grow in understanding His love for us, we are able to learn to love others the same way as He loves us. Satan does not have the genuine capability to produce this kind of love, because his character is self-centeredness and hate. Sadly, Satan's way is what the world is living by, and it is the reason why there is so much unforgiveness and hatred in this world. 

God's sacrificial love gives us hope for understanding what true love is. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us." The more we understand how much God loves us, the more we want to love others. One of the reasons a family bonds together through trials and challenges is their love for each other. No matter how they fail each other, they still stick together because their love for each other is much stronger than everybody's failures. The world's response to failure and mistakes is judgment, condemnation, and hatred, but God's love response is forgiveness, acceptance, and repentance. When people wrong us, including our families and close friends, we must forgive because this is how we live in God's sacrificial love and express God's sacrificial love. God's love heals our broken relationships because His love moves us to forgive. His sacrificial love moves us to let go of bitterness, resentment, and anger. 

One of the ways that we can know if we are growing in our relationship with God is through our love towards Him and others. In God's eyes, our relationship with Him and our relationship with others go together. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Do I believe that God sacrificially loves me? How do I live out God's sacrificial love? How do I know if I am growing in my relationship with God?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven, thank you for loving me sacrificially. I know that I do not deserve your love because of all the sins that I have done, but I am so blessed to know that despite my sins, you love me still and forgive all my sins. As a result, I have hope for restoration and renewal. As I live in your sacrificial love, please help me to love others the same way, especially those who are closed and dear to my heart. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.