Today's Verse: 1 John 4:20-21

Love! The word can mean almost anything in a world where it is overused and under-practiced. Many in the Christian community have tried to define it by a dictionary or lexicon, not realizing that the key word for love, agape, is defined by action. Before Christians got a hold of agape, it basically meant the same thing our word "love" does today. It could be used in almost any context or any kind of "like" we have. But if you read how John used it, inspired by the Holy Spirit, you see "love" defined by God and by what God has done and how he demonstrates his love. He asks us to do the same for our brothers and sisters. Love must be more than talk or feelings; it must be genuinely demonstrated in loving, selfless actions!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...*

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.**

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.***

Love is defined by what we do and how many we include in that loving behavior.

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* John 3:16. ** 1 John 3:16. *** 1 John 4:10