But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 WEB
Our willingness to sacrifice for others is the proof of our love. Love, in a godly sense, is not an outpouring of emotion or mere words. Love is active and always seeking to benefit others. We have proof of God’s unfailing love in the example of our Lord and Savior as Christ died for us.
To save mankind from sin and reconcile sinful man to God, the Lord himself in the person of his Son, Jesus, died to pay the penalty of our rebellious nature. It is our belief, our faith in the goodness of God to provide Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins that justifies us before our Creator.
The Love of God
The loving, faithful, and obedient action of Jesus Christ provided a way to restore peace between God and man. Christ died for us. When we accept Jesus for the atonement sacrifice that he made, we receive God’s Holy Spirit and the love of God is established in our hearts.
After accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, we begin to emulate our Lord by living in obedience to God. We love because we are loved. In addition, we love with the same sacrificial love that we received from God. This is a commandment of Christ who says in John 13:34, “Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. WEB”
Bless Those Who Curse You
Notice, that we don’t love perfect people. Loving as Jesus’ loved, we love sinners and the repentant alike. Jesus taught in Luke 6:28 that we are to, “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. WEB”
To love like Jesus is to sacrifice for others. Even as Christ died for us to save us from our sin, we too must be willing to lay down our lives in God’s service. This likely will not mean literal death. Sacrifice sometimes takes the form of caring for the sick or less fortunate. Sacrifice is sometimes opening our homes to those in need, sacrificing time to share the love of God, or simply lending a hand to help a friend carry a burden.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for demonstrating your love for me. Thank you for making a way to restore a sinner like myself to right standing with you. Help me to love as you love. Give me strength to demonstrate your love in my life. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: I Am the Vine
