“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
Love is probably one of the most misunderstood word you can hear and read every day. We use the word “love” when we want to express our care to our loved ones or, sometimes, to express our romantic feelings to a particular person. We often express this love to others by how love was shown to us by our parents, friends, and other significant influences in our lives.
As time goes by, we also learn to love these people, and we feel the need to love them because they expressed their love to us first. On the contrary, the Bible tells us that we love because it was first demonstrated by the One who is Love Himself.
This verse not only shows our ability to love God and people, but it specifically also tells us the root cause of this ability. This verse points out “when He loved us first.” We always fail to recognize that it was only by His grace that we fully knew love.
We wouldn’t understand perfect love if it wasn’t for Jesus Christ dying on the cross. We will never know grace and forgiveness. But He willingly did it, so we can have an idea of what love is supposed to be. To say and prove that we love Him shows that this is just our mere response to His love for us. He initiated it first, so we adapted it.
We long to love because we are designed to love and be loved. So when you can’t find love in the world and the people around you, think of ways on how God has loved you. Think of how He has blessed you with a family that cares for you, how He has blessed you with friends, a career, and a good lifestyle. Do not forget how He had showered you so many blessings even when you were not yet born.
When you still can’t understand love, remember how you had the privilege to be saved not because you love Him but because you are a sinner, and yet, He loved you otherwise. May you constantly be reminded that love isn’t love when it’s not from God. Love is never made complete when it’s not from the Source. The only way we can show this kind of love to others is when we love them like how Jesus loved us.