1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Scripture reading: 1 John 4:7-12; Ephesians 4:25-32

This passage has been described as throwing open the doors of God’s throne room and introducing us to the essence of God.  We are told here that God is love.  Like every other of God’s attributes, we must not think that love is only one part of God; instead, the Bible tells us that God IS love.  Because God is love, all those who are born (again) of God will also love.  The greatest demonstration of this attribute of God comes to us in the giving of His only begotten Son that we might live through Him.  A sinner comes to God dead in sin and an enemy to His holiness.  It was into this dead and hateful world that Jesus came in order to take the just penalty of God’s wrath against sin for all who would believe on Him.  This is love!

When we look to Jesus in faith and taste God’s love in Him, we are called to demonstrate this same love as we live amongst each other.  Not only is Jesus Christ the source of our ability to love as we ought, but He is also our motivation.  It is only as we look away from ourselves and look in faith to the limitless display of love in the cross of the Lord Jesus that we are enabled to love as God loves.  We are to love even as God loves – a high calling indeed.

Suggestions for prayer

Pray that you would grow in your understanding of God’s love in Jesus Christ.  Pray also for the grace needed to love as God Himself does.

Rev. Brian Murray is the associate pastor at Grace ARP Church and the Director of Gillespie Academy in Woodstock, Ontario. He has been ordained in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church since 2003 and he and his wife Melissa have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.