The Love of God
Devotional Reading: “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16 KJV
Through Christ we perceive and come to know the Selfless Love of God. For our God laid down His life for us. Christ, our True and Living King, laid down His life so that we may see God’s Love manifested.
The Amplified Version puts it this way, “By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him].” 1 John 3:16 AMPC. Christ, God in the flesh, laid down His Life so that we can progressively know and come to understand the essential Love of God.
It is through the selfless Love of Christ that we are able to pattern our “Love Walk” after His Selfless Love Blueprint. The New Living Translation expounds upon 1 John 3:16 NLT in the following manner, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
We know what real love is because Jesus Christ is our example. It is through the Life of Christ that we know how to love—for through Christ we know what real Love is. For Christ is our Pattern. Christ is our Blueprint. Christ is our Cornerstone. For God is Love.
Prayer and Confession
Thank you Jesus for the revelation of what true love is , which is you coming to die for my sins. Teach me to be fully established in this truth. Amen!
Further Reading: John 3:16, 1 John 3:1
