4 Incredible Results of God's Love for Us - The Crosswalk Devotional - April 17

4 Incredible Results of God's Love for Us
By Lynette Kittle

“We love because He first loved us” - 1 John 4:19

It’s pretty irresistible to be loved for no apparent reason and for nothing we’ve done on our own. Love, poured out freely, has a way of reaching and touching our hearts in a way that’s hard to explain.

It’s why people love the thought of “love at first sight,” where there aren’t any qualifications or background needed upfront to determine if one is worth loving. Like meeting someone who just seems to love us from the start, without our having to earn their favor or work for it. It’s very welcoming and inviting.

Animals seem to have the gift of loving us first, too, as who can resist a pet’s affection when an animal is drawn to them? It’s almost impossible to stay aloof for very long, especially from a living, breathing creature who seems to adore us.

God’s Love Breaks through Sin’s Barrier

God understands how loving us first has the power to draw even the most reluctant sinner to His side. He knew, too, that we wouldn’t be able to love Him on our own because of sin’s barrier within us, so He initiated love.

John 3:16 describes the extent of His love for us. “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.”

Sometimes we think, in the Apostle Peter fashion, that we would have loved Jesus regardless of whether or not He loved us first. But it’s just not true, sin holds us back from being able to love God first, we needed Him to be the one who reached out to us.

God’s Love Is Defining

Sadly, love has taken on many meanings, most of which look nothing like having the love that comes from God but rather are counterfeit imitations that fall short. What many think of love today is rather a lustful emotion that is selfish and self-serving.

But the love that comes from God is patient, kind, not self-seeking, or easily angered, it doesn’t keep account of wrongs against it or take pleasure in evil but rejoices in truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things. Most importantly, God’s love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

In my attempts to love others first, I’ve purposefully stepped out of my comfort zone to love individuals who seemed very unhappy and pretty difficult to be around. It’s not because I like a challenge, but because it’s what I thought God would want me to do.

Although it wasn’t at all easy for me and took lots of effort on my part, I’m glad to have trusted God enough to make the first move, knowing it’s the start of expressing His love to them and that He can work through my small attempts to draw them closer to Himself.

As well, I’ve often thought, if that person were me, what would I hope someone who knows God would do for me?

God’s Love Saves Us

Even more so, God’s love saves us. Romans 5:8 explains, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Because humans are incapable of loving Him on our own, God stepped in and provided a way of Salvation for us through His Son Jesus Christ. As 1 John 4:10 describes, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

God’s Love Gives Us Life

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we not only receive freedom from our debt of sin, but we also receive freedom from the fear of death and new life, everlasting life.

In John 11:25, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die.”

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Ask God to help you love others the way He loves us. Be open to reaching out first to individuals who may seem aloof and uninterested in getting to know you, even if it means risking rejection from them. Choose to love others, even if they don’t appear to love you back.

Further Reading:
Love Begins With Us

Photo Credit: Emmanuel Phaeton/Unsplash

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.