God's Love: Day 4

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¾ Romans 5:10

Valentine’s Day. It’s a day set aside to express our love for those close to us. When you think about this holiday, what are some of the words that come to your mind? What are some ways people show their love to others on Valentine’s Day? Why do you think people are so quick to boldly and extravagantly express their love on February 14^th but maybe not so much on other days of the year?

It might be because, if we’re honest, there are some people who require some extra effort in order to show them love! Read the following verses and identify how God says we are to respond in love to these people: Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 10:27, and John 15:12-13.

It’s easy for us to justify why we don’t show love to certain people. After all, some people might do things so mean to us that we think they can’t be overlooked. The problem with this line of thinking is that if we look at Scripture, we see that we were once God’s enemies. And yet, He chose to overlook our sins to love us.

Romans 5:10 says, “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him by the death of His Son, shall we be saved through His life!” There was a time when God chose to look past the fact that we were His enemies and make a way for us to have a relationship with Him. If God, who is perfect and sinless, was able to show love to sinners, we should do the same for those whom we find hard to love.

This kind of love seems impossible. The truth is that it is impossible apart from the power of God. Recall 1 John 4:7-8. Because God IS love and He lives in us, we are able to demonstrate His love to those who are hard to love.

Something To Think About . . .

• Who do you need to make an extra effort to love today?
• How can you demonstrate God’s love to this person?