1 John 3

Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us!
Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us!
That, we should be called the sons of God J
That, we should be called the sons of God J

A simple beautiful melody that sings of the love of God and you can almost imagine brethren joined hands going round and round…. Indeed, it is so amazing that God would love us, despite our many flaws and imperfections, and how we have often failed Him time and again.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

It is even more amazing that we are called His children when we have done nothing on our part to deserve it. Yet, He loves us by laying down His life for us. And by His sacrifice, we are reconciled with God.

… the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5)

With this love of God which has been richly poured out in our hearts, we ought to go forth and pour this same love to those around us. One who has truly received the love of God poured abundantly into his hearts will naturally pour out love to those around him. Like an overflowing jug of wine or like the sweet aroma of frankincense, you cannot contain it. It naturally flow and impact those around us.

If you are feeling (spiritually) dry, and seemed to find no love to give, perhaps it is a good time to stop, take a breather, and try to immerse yourself once again in God. God is love. How can we say that we are children of God if we find ourselves with no love to give?

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16)

Love must also not be in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Love necessarily entails sacrifice. Today, we may not literally die for one another, but we are still called to ‘lay down our lives’ in other ways. What are some of the ways we may ‘lay down our lives’ for others?