“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-9 (ESV)

A missing element in our world is love for one another. Relationships are strained and fragile. Distinctions are made in society that segment one group from another. In the New Testament, we find a common denominator for all people. Everyone needs to experience the love of God.

God’s nature is love! But the type of love He has is different from the love we see in our world. God’s love is “self-sacrificing.” While we were sinners, Christ died for us. God’s love is granted to anyone who needs to be loved. God’s aim in His love is to restore us to a relationship with Him. He wants us to find peace in His love. He wants us to find self-respect in His love. He wants us to have a changed heart in His love.

The proof we have been born of God is we love one another. This is the same type of self-sacrificing love God has for us. We love because God first loved us. Therefore, we love others when they can’t love us back. We love those who need to be loved. We relate with others, so they discover their own relationship with God. Our gift of love is a celebration of God’s gift to us, not an expectation of a loving response from others. God’s love has blessed us with respect from Him and makes us live with reference to His love, not the world’s rant and fret.

God’s love brings us together. When God is our Father, we are family. The same Lord who loves me, loves you. The same heart of love God gave me, He gave you. We become brothers and sisters in Christ. All other distinctions disappear. We become one in Christ. Our goal in life is to bless others. Our life is complete in Christ. The past is gone. The future is guaranteed. We need nothing more than what we already have, the love of God.

The absence of God’s love in our life reveals we have yet to experience God. If you really know God, you know He loves us in spite of who we are. To experience such a wonderful adoption into God’s love will change our heart from loving ourselves to loving others as God has loves us.

The true believer in Christ is so impacted by God’s love, they reflect that love in every situation they face. That love is so overpowering, no other experience will preclude the opportunity to show how God love is the real game changer in life. This week may each of us meet someone who needs to experience God’s love.

When we meet, may we show our love for God by delivering His love thru our actions as well as our words. May the response we seek not be the gratitude of others, but the “Well Done thou good and faithful servant” from the Lord.