February 14, 2019
1 John 4:7-10 The Message (MSG)
Love is a focus for many, today; it is Valentine’s Day. The card industry will certainly prosper today. Cards will be exchanged between people expressing feelings and emotions. John usually makes me a Valentine card and I have saved most of them over the forty-one years of our marriage. I love my husband, our sons and daughter-in-loves, our sweet puppy Gracie, our whole extended family, our amazing friends, our spiritual family, and…all of God’s creation. Yet, the greatest focus of my love story begins with the One who extends pure agape to me; Jesus the Anointed One.
The highest form of love is agape: the selfless and sacrificial love that God has for human beings and the love human beings were created to return to God and share with others. I cannot even truly love the people in my life well apart from being loved by My Lord. So, I challenge you to begin your day with the Lord who perfectly and sacrificially loves you, and then love him in return. Please do not leave the greatest Love out of your day; spend time with the Lord.
1 John 4:7-10 God Is Love
7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving me and caring for me my whole life. You are the Love of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.