Read 1 John 4:7–12.
Love means that God eternally gives Himself to others. It is part of God’s nature to give of Himself to bring about blessings or good for others.
As humans, we often think about love in terms of how we feel about people. This poses a problem for us because our feelings change minute by minute and are often a response to what is happening.
God’s love is not emotion-based. When we talk about the love of God, we are not talking about how God feels about us. When we say God loves us, we are saying that God eternally gives all of Himself for our benefit. That is what love means.
In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
— 1 John 4:9
God is eternally giving all of Himself for your good, for your blessing. ALL OF HIMSELF for your good. That blows my mind!
This passage in 1 John not only provides a definition but gives us a challenge.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
— 1 John 4:11
We, too, should love by giving ourselves for the benefit of others for all our lives.
Today, think about God eternally giving all of Himself for your benefit. How do you model love in your life?