“We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:19-21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Continuing to look at yesterday's subject, let us consider the simple, yet profound, reality that God loved us first. His love is what motivated Him to create us. It is the love of God that has given us all the glorious, beautiful, and spectacular things of life. Without God's love we would cease to exist. In fact, it is the love of God that refuses to let mankind, and the world He created, be destroyed by Satan and sin. John 3:16 makes it abundantly clear that God loved us so much that He gave His Son to pay our sin debt. The thought of God loving sinful man is a sobering consideration. Romans 5:8 states "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” KJV‬‬

How could a perfect God love a wretch like me? I cannot say that I have my mind wrapped around that, but I can say that I have fallen into the eternal arms of grace. His love is now wrapped around me. He desires the world to know this same love. This is why we must love others. There is no way to claim that we belong to God and hate others. If we are His, we will love others. To know God is to love.

The gospel is rooted in the love of God. He eagerly awaits our response to His outstretched arms. Our response determines our eternal destiny.

Prayer for today: Father, in Jesus name, empower me, by the Holy Spirit, to love the way you love!