Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Monday, 3 February
2014 – “We Love Because God First Loved Us”
“We love because he first loved us.”--1
John 4:19 (NIV)
The Bible says in 1 John 4:19, “We love
because [God] first loved us” (NIV). God is always first in everything. He
takes the initiative. The only reason you can love God or anybody else is
because God first loved you. And he showed that love by sending Jesus Christ to
Earth to die for you. He showed that love by creating you. He showed that love
by giving you everything you have in life. We love because God first loved us.
If you want to learn how to love other
people, you’ve got to first understand and feel how much God loves you. When
you feel that unconditional love, you’re going to start cutting people a lot of
slack. You’re not going to be as angry as you’ve been in the past. You’re going
to be more patient. You’re going to be more forgiving. You’re going to be more
merciful. You’re going to show other people grace.
The reason why you see people who are
judgmental, sarcastic, angry, self righteous, and always putting other people
down is because they’re putting themselves down. They don’t feel good about
themselves. They don’t feel loved. They don’t feel forgiven. They don’t feel
grace. They feel guilty. They feel bad about themselves. And if they feel bad
about themselves, they certainly don’t want you feeling good about you.
Maybe you’re one of those people. Maybe
you’ve been hurt by parents or peers or partners. Maybe you’ve been abused or
misused or rejected or abandoned or betrayed. You’ve got some scars on your
heart.
You cannot give to others what you have
not received yourself. Unlovely people are unloved people. Hurt people hurt
people. If you’re filled with anger and impatience and you don’t feel loved,
guess what? You’re not going to be able to love anybody else. You have to learn
how much God loves you and let it heal your heart so his love can flow through
you. It is impossible to love others until you really feel loved yourself.
The Bible says, “We know and rely on the
love God has for us” (1 John 4:16a). Do you know the love of God? Do you rely
on the love of God for you? You will have a hard time loving other people until
you have God’s love coming through you.
Talk It Over:
·
Would you say that you love others with
the love of God? How do you show that love to others?
·
Why would understanding God’s love help
you show grace to others?
·
What hurt from your past is keeping you
from accepting God’s love and showing it to others?
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Saddleback Community Church
1 Saddleback Pkwy
Lake Forest, CA 92630 United States
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