Year of the Bible: Part Nine of TwelveSample

Loving Sincerely

Our love for each other has tremendous implications. Jesus said, "by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you love one another" (John 13:35).

The love God commands us to have for others is radical: it includes loving our enemies and persecutors without expecting love in return. Jesus said that the whole law and the prophets are summed up in loving God and loving others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:40).

To truly love, we must first know God. Love starts with God and ends with God because God is love. We see this in 1 John 4:7-8: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love."

God is love. It is who He is. All God does is out of love. His display of love is the purest and most authentic, and He loves perfectly.

We are made in God's image; therefore, we can learn to love even in the most challenging times and love the most difficult people sincerely. We can know this love as we get to know God!

Question: Why do you think it is so hard to love well?

Prayer: Ask God to remind you of His love, and ask Him to help you love those who are hard to love.