We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19 (NIV)
He First Loved Us
A new documentary exploring the links between residential schools, the high rates of Indigenous kids in foster care and overdose deaths debuted in a private ceremony this past September 30. According to producer Mary Teegee, “For Love was really to highlight the beauty of our culture as prevention. More importantly, everything that we do as Indigenous people is for the love of our children and that is our culture, our language and everything that is still there.”
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Christians ought to be marked by our love for each other and for others. The Bible is filled with commands for God’s people to love others. It should be as natural as breathing for those of us who love Jesus Christ. After all, we have experienced His love through His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that John the apostle writes this in 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.” John is reminding his readers, and us, that we are to live a life of love that has grown out of our relationship with Him. John had stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus died – with his own eyes, John had seen all that Jesus had gone through in order to provide redemption for us. He was willing to suffer incredible agony and die a lonely death because He loves us. John reminds us that we need to be prepared to go to the same length in order to show His love to others. For whom can you lay down your life today in order to show the love of Jesus to them? We have been loved – so love others.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley