APRIL 3, 2013
O
Love That Will Not Let Me Go
Read: 1
John 4:7-21
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. —1 John 4:11
Love
is the centerpiece of thriving relationships. scripture makes it clear
that we
need to be people who love—love God with all our hearts, love our
neighbor as ourselves,
and love our enemies. But it’s hard to love when we
don’t feel loved. Neglected
children, spouses who feel ignored by their mates,
and parents who are
alienated from their children all know the heartache of a
life that lacks love.
So,
for everyone who longs to be loved, welcome to the pleasure of knowing
that you
are richly loved by God. Think of the profound impact of His love that
was
poured out for you at the cross. Meditate on the fact that if you’ve trusted
in
Him, His love covers your faults and failures and that you are clothed with
His
spotless righteousness (Rom. 3:22-24). Revel in the fact that nothing can
separate you from His love (8:39). Embrace His loving provision of a future
secured for you where you will be eternally loved (John 3:16).
When
John tells us that we “ought to love one another,” he calls us the “beloved”
(1
John 4:11; see also 3:1-2). Once you embrace how wonderfully loved you are
by
God, it will be much easier to be the loving person God calls you to be—even
toward those who don’t show you love.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all. —Watts
Embracing God’s love for us is the key to loving others.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
