Today’s Encouragement is 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
He first –
My friends, because God first loved us. (FIRST) His love comes into our hearts and minds, then (SECOND) when we accept His perfect Gift of Love, we are transformed, new Creations (2 Cor. 5:17) and then (THIRD) we naturally overflow with His perfect love to others.
We are only able to love, we only have capacity, capability, the source of any good within ourselves, any ability to love another unselfishly, generously, graciously… because we are FIRST—- filled with His love!
This doesn’t mean we sit back and ‘wait’ until we feel like He has filled us and then He gives us opportunity to love others. No, like most of God’s work, we operate by Faith, that He will provide us with the necessary measure of love, wisdom, mercy needed for the person we are reaching out to help.
Demonstrating His love to others almost always takes us out of our own comfort zone and places us into His ‘zone’, the place and person He wants to express His love for… and this is usually not whom you had in mind… because it is His mind directing us, not our mind and thoughts. So we then obey… and extend His love to the ones He has chosen, the one He has placed before us. And in this amazing process, His perfect, cleansing, renewing, and life-giving Love flows through us making us new Creations, and into the life of another of His children.
“Love God and love others”, as He said. Just the clear command/instruction/wisdom of God. So simple, yet oh, so powerful.
Lord thank You for First, filling us to overflowing with Your Perfect Love, and then pouring out Your Love within us, into the lives of those around us.
First loved me
Covenant Worship
Today’s Encouragement 