We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

I read a Facebook post today where my friend was talking about God and stating that he’s much happier with a particular picture of God and not at all with another common picture held out by Christians today. Here’s the deal. Suddenly, we like to play God. “Oh I’m happy with a God who loves us and looks after us, but not a God who judges people and tells them how to live their lives”. Right at that moment we play God. It’s more comfortable that way, when we are in control. We can tell God what to do. We can tell God how to be God.

And yet in this short and punchy verse, we see something of the divine order. The only reason we can love is because he first loved us. He is the initiator. He is God. What we do, we do in response to him and what he has done first. Many of us need to see this. Instead of trying to be God, we would do well to thank him for his initiative in our lives and in our salvation. We are children of God today because he has initiated the process of salvation and brought us into his life, his eternal life. We look around and suddenly we start to see the people around us as he sees them. They are to be loved with the undying love of heaven. His love was shed abroad in our hearts so that we can pass it on to others.

God has showed us how to be a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a friend. Let us love the way he has loved us. Today ask that he would help you to love like he loves. And then love like he loves!

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