“We love because he first loved us”. – 1 John 4:19
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” – 1 John 3:16
As I’ve been thinking about love (crazy, because it’s Valentine’s Day), I think about the love of Christ. I couldn’t tell you how many people wished me a “Happy Single Awareness Day” or heard someone complaining because they didn’t have a special someone to share today with. Well, my friends, that shouldn’t be our focus. If we look at Jesus Christ and the ultimate gift of love that he gave us on the cross, shouldn’t that be consuming our thoughts? And not just on Valentine’s Day, but everyday? Jesus set the example of what love is by enduring the cross to take our sin. No love from any earthly person will compare to the love that came from that sacrifice. We will always be let down. Always. Our parents, siblings, spouses, friends and significant others will inevitably disappoint us. But, praise Jesus, we will never be disappointed or let down by the love of Christ!
In 1 John 3:16, it talks about how we should be laying our life down for our brothers and sisters. That’s not just our blood brothers and sisters; these are our siblings in Christ. These are the people we will be spending our eternities with in heaven. If Jesus was willing to endure the cross and take on the sins of all mankind (past, present and future), why aren’t we loving people like we should? What is stopping us? I encourage you to be quick to love those who are in your life. Be a person who is known for the love they show. We know what love looks like because Jesus Christ loves us and pursues us constantly. Let’s love others out of the love we have for our Savior.
Author: Nicole Presley