We Love Because He First Loved Us | Short Sermon Series
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
Loving others is not an easy feat. Even the most lovable people have moments where they slip up and become hard to love. Yet God calls us to a higher standard of living and of loving. He calls us to love each other with a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
I wonder how many of us can say that we have truly loved somebody in the way that Paul urges us to in 1 Cor 13 – in the same way that God loves us.
But why should we even bother loving someone to this extent of pure love? Why not love when it is easy to, and not when it is hard? The answer is simple. We love because He first loved us. As children of God, we have received a love that is greater than we can ever imagine. We are blessed to be a blessing, and we are loved to love others.
Having received such a perfect love, let us now love others out of an overflow of God’s love. Let us be His hands and feet to love a broken world, emulating and following the example of Jesus. For we love, because He first loved us.