Love Received. Love Given.
Wednesday’s Verse:
From 1 John 4:21 ESV
“And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
We sing about our love for God, we confess His holy name, we hear His Word and receive His gifts. It sounds easy enough to love God. John warns us that our love for God will never stop at words or an internal feeling. Love for God will be expressed by how we love the people that God puts in our lives
Jesus commands us to love our neighbor because our sin often keeps us from doing it. We do not always love our brothers and sisters with patience. We harbor grudges, speak cruel words, or refuse to show kindness to those who have wronged us. The good news is that before He commands us to love our neighbor, Christ Jesus has loved us. He gave Himself up for us sinners, forgiving us on the cross and adopting us as God’s beloved children.
By His mercy, we are free to love our neighbor. Not to try and earn God’s approval but because we have already been given favor in Christ. A word of forgiveness, a listening ear, a prayer for someone in need, or a simple act of service can be a tiny reflection of God’s great love for us.
Ask God today to help you look beyond yourself. Who has He put in your life that you can love in Jesus’ name?
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, You loved me when I was worthless and gave Your Son up for me in order to forgive me. Teach me to love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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