"Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also love one another."
This scripture tells us that we are to love others as God has loved us. As He loved us... what does that mean? Verse 9 tells us that God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us. That we might live through the shed blood and death of His son on the cross. Verse 10 tells us that Christ was our substitution for us, for our death for our sins.
He isn't telling us to die for one another... John is telling us that we are to love one another, as God
loved us. That He loved us sacrificially, that He loved us with every fiber of His being! We can't even have a small ounce of compassion or love for our fellow neighbor, for a coworker or someone we see out in public, but God extends that love to us everyday!
If you say you love, don't be afraid to show it to others. Lend them a word of encouragement, a smile, let them know someone is praying for them, then pray for them. Not always do we have to do something monetarily to show someone that we love them, but sometimes someone you know may need that too, even if we don't know it. All God is asking you to do is love one another! Show them the love you want to see for yourself.
He did, over 2000 years ago, He showed us just how much He loved us. Neither you or I can ever repay that gift of love, it's a gift. He wants you to share it with others, freely, with no strings attached. Can you do that today? I know I am going to give it my all!
