What Real Love Looks Like
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4: 10-12
It’s easier to love someone who already loves you back, but how do you do loving someone who is apathetic, or downright hostile towards you? In that case, I tend to find myself getting defensive, thinking You don’t like me? Fine, I don’t like you either! Cue the crossed arms, huffing, and stomping away.
Yet when God found His people unwilling to love Him back, He didn’t stomp away, but sent His beloved Son Jesus to take on sin for us so that He might be able to love us fully. Since God is perfect and holy, He was unable to be with sinful people like us. That’s why for hundreds of years, the Israelites had such careful rituals and sacrificial offerings to cleanse themselves of sin so they could encounter God. And what beautiful news that we no longer have to do that!
By sending Jesus to die on the cross, God used His Son to be the final atoning sacrifice for our sins. Our debt has been paid once and for all, and now we freely can receive the gift of God’s love.
I love that John doesn’t just stop there. Yes, it’s beautiful to be loved by God and to love Him back, but now as followers of Jesus we are called to love others too. John says that if we love others “God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
We need to love others to get the full picture of God’s love. What a beautiful picture that God made each of us in His image and gives us the opportunity to be His tangible hands, smile, voice, and love to every person we encounter.
As we go throughout the day today, I pray that each of us would have our hearts and eyes open to show love to those we encounter. As we bless others in small and big ways, may we remember that we are able to love because of God’s great love for us, and in loving others, God’s love is complete.