SPIRITUAL VITAMIN DEVOTIONAL

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
~1 John 3:16

Happy Valentine's Day! We celebrate the holiday with cards, candy, and candlelit dinners. We buy pounds of chocolate and dozens of roses. We give our children stuffed animals and our husbands cute little boxer shorts with hearts and cupids on them. Candy, cards and chocolate...is this real love?

How do we know what real love is? John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." The key word is "gave" - God so loved us that He gave…his son Jesus Christ. It has been said that you can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. You can't love without giving of yourself, your time and your resources, for giving is a natural outpouring of love.

1 John 3:16 says that Christ laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. He gave his life. No one took it from him. Jesus shows us what real love is and how real love acts. Scripture tells us "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Have you ever had someone tell you that they love you but their actions tell you something different? God so loved us that He gave His son. The Son so loved the Father that He gave His life. How do you show love?

Real love is sacrificial. Real love is demonstrated through our actions. Real love says "you first". Real love says "I love you even when you are unlovable". Real love says that I will forgive my enemies and show love to them. Real love covers over sins. It does not expose them.

If we truly love God, then we are to obey His commandment to love others. This is not possible in our flesh, in our own strength. We can only do this by the awesome indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. He tells us that others will see Him through our love, through our actions. When we love one another, the invisible God reveals Himself to others through us and His love is made complete.

Prayer:
Father God, thank you for your merciful, unconditional love for me. Thank you for giving the most costly gift of all, your Son, to die for my sins. Help me each day to show what real love is and how real love acts. Help me to love sacrificially so that others may see Jesus in me.

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SPIRITUAL VITAMIN DEVOTIONAL