By WHY LOVE GOES FIRST
Family Life Radio
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
─ John 13:34-35 NKJV
God is love. His grace, an overflow of His love for us, is what makes God desirable to those that don’t know Him.
Sadly, we’ve all met people who claimed to be Christians, but the outflow of their life didn’t represent the attributes and character of God. Perhaps you’ve even sat in a church that criticized and judged you because you didn’t conform to their specific list of rules, definitions of what a Christian should be, or even what a Christian should act like.
Our own negative words
and actions can push others away rather than compel them to experience the
love, grace and mercy of God. Jesus said everyone can recognize someone who
follows Him simply by the fact that they have love. True Christ followers obey
the Lord’s commandment to follow His example and love first, above all
else.
When we demonstrate His love to others, they gain insight with a glimpse of the
grace and mercy He’s made available to them. That’s why love should go first in
all we do. That’s why our responses to everything in our relationships should
flow out of God’s love for us and for others.
Today’s One Thing
Here are four ways to demonstrate God’s love. Set a goal to do all of these at least once today.
- Perform an act of service for someone with no strings attached.
- Offer a smile to everyone you see today.
- Steer conversations away from negativity – encouraging positive topics.
Deliberately compliment your family members.
