Listen

Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love. This is how the love of God is revealed to us: God has sent his only Son into the world so that we can live through him.

1 John 4:7-9

Think

“Love,” what a wonderful and expansive word. It means so many things to us. We use it as we speak of pizza, a terrific book or movie, sports, and people in our lives. In today’s verses we are called to “love one another.” Could this mean to bear fruits of the Spirit on behalf of others, to be compassionate, humble, gentle, and patient? The relationships I cherish the most have included these characteristics of love. When my friends and family are patient and compassionate toward me, I see God’s love in action.

There is so much noise today. Many things around us are extreme, distorted, exaggerated – even loving others has taken on different meanings. Thinking about bearing fruits of the Spirit helps us focus on the ways God loves us. We’re called to follow God’s example as we love others. Let’s commit to loving by reflecting God’s character.

Bill Ogletree

Question to Ponder: 

Who around you needs God’s love today?

Pray

God, make me more loving. Help me to love others, even those who don’t appear to love me back.

One characteristic of love I want to work on is…

Amen.

Go

How can you bear fruit this day? “Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Doing so prepares you to bear God’s fruit.

Colossians 3:12