Devotion: 1 John 4:11

1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Can you guess the Greek word for love today? It seems John spoke only of agape love in his Gospel and Epistles. Once again we see agape used in this verse, speaking of that unconditional, perfect love of God for mankind. It is the same kind of love we should have for one another.

I love the familiarity in which John writes his letters. He calls them dear friends. Dear. Not just friends, but dear friends. And this is not just an introductory salutation in a letter. This is him addressing his friends, whom he has great feelings towards. You can practically feel the love in the words he penned.

Since God so loved us… The NLT says it like this: “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.” The Godbey New Testament translation says: “Beloved, if God so loved us with divine love, we ought also to love one another with divine love.” Regardless of translation, the meaning is clear. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us and save us from our sins. Since He loved us first, we should return that love wholeheartedly.

Unlike yesterday’s verse that commanded us to love, today John says we OUGHT to love one another. We are given the option to love. Love in an action, in this case, not an emotional response to His love. We choose to love, devoting ourselves to Him and His people. Loving one another can be likened to evidence that God lives in us and that His love is perfected within.

Today let’s choose to love others. Show them the love of God by serving. Find something you can do to show people what it means to be a Christian and love others.

Prayer: Lord, Show me who I can love today and then help me to show the love of Christ through my actions. Amen

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