Love is demonstrated, not just communicated verbally. When the Scriptures tell us that God loves us, they always show God's actions that demonstrate that love. Here, John wants us to realize that God's love goes first. God demonstrates and shares his love with us before we demonstrate our love for him. He doesn't wait till it is safe to love us. He doesn't wait until he will get something in return. Instead, he goes first and defines his love in this way so that we can know that genuine love redeems when all hope seems lost - when we are not worthy, and when we are not ready. God is love, and we know this because of what his love does, had done, and will give to us even before we choose to love him.
My Prayer...
Thank you, dear Heavenly Father, for loving me so extravagantly. Please help me see the opportunities to love others you place in my path every day. Use me, please, dear Father, to demonstrate your love to someone today and the following days of my life. Help me go first with love in my life. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
"Dear Father, King of all, Thank you for subjecting the world to come to our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that Jesus was willing for a time to be made..."
"After washing [the disciples'] feet, [Jesus] put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? You call me 'Teacher'...."
"The Christian, while in the world, is not to be of the world. He should be distinguished from it in the great object of his life. To him, "to live,"....."
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