We love God because He first loved us – I John 4:19
That short statement says a great deal about God. It also says a great deal about us. And it speaks volumes about what our Father can say in so few words!
First Loved – A Reminder
This short, simple verse is a reminder of our own spiritual condition. In our sin, we are dead to God. To say we are spiritually dead is to take “the glass is half full” point of view. The “glass is half empty” viewpoint means we are alive to sin. This is the problem. Having a rebellious, sin nature keeps us from wanting to know God. And not wanting to know Him, we certainly don’t think about loving Him.
First Loved – A Necessity
Think about what it is we don’t want to love. The God of Creation is perfect in all His ways. That means He is perfect in
- beauty
- truth
- creativity
- justice
- love
- majesty
- power
- knowledge
- and on the list can go on and on!
He is the Personification of Perfection and we, in our sinful state, don’t want to love Him. What a marvelous thing it is that He chooses to love sinful creatures. He makes it possible for us to do what we would never do without being first loved. Would we even know love at all if He hadn’t initiated it toward us?
First Loved – Motivation
The implications are huge. He invaded our sinfulness to show love to us. O how that ought to shape the days of our lives! Our unending gratitude should cause us to honor, worship, and serve Him. How do we do that?
May I suggest The Second Commandment? Loving your neighbor might be how they learn they have been first loved. Think about it
0 Comments