Empowered By God’s Love

Let us love one another, for love comes from God.

1 John 4:7

Whenever God’s love and grace captivate your heart, you learn—among other life-giving truths—that His plans for you are for good and not for evil, that He is for you and not against you, and that He is ever so trustworthy. That’s life-changing. And it gives you a real source of fuel when loving others seems too hard to do.

Let’s face it: in our own power, we wouldn’t do such a great job of loving one another. But the good news is that the power doesn’t come from us or our good behavior, or how “nice” we are to each other. We don’t need to put on a performance in an attempt to earn God’s love and approval. Instead, we choose to love because He loved us; it’s a “want to,” not a “have to.” As Scripture says, ^“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Your good works of loving others are empowered by His love for you, and those words and actions are your grateful response to that love.

Knowing you are already deeply loved, valued, and accepted by God frees you to give of your heart to others for their good and God’s glory.

Thank You for the love and acceptance You offer me, Lord. Show me how to genuinely share Your love with others, showing them what Your love has meant for me.