A Challenge to Love Like God

The Bible has a way of cutting straight to our hearts. In particular, 1 John 4:7-11 delivers one of the most profound challenges to people. It is to love like God – as He has loved us. This passage isn’t just suggesting we be nice to others. It is calling us to a radical, transformative kind of love that mirrors God’s own heart.

The passage starts off with 1 John 4:7. “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God.” These opening words remind us that authentic love isn’t something we manufacture on our own. It flows from God. When we struggle to love difficult people or find ourselves running low on compassion, we need to remember that we’re not meant to love from our own limited reserves. Instead, we’re called to be ambassadors and living examples of God’s inexhaustible love.

The passage continues with verse 8. “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” This is a bold statement and a reality check for all of us who follow Christ. Our capacity to love others isn’t just a nice addition to our faith – it’s a fundamental indicator of our relationship with God. If we’re not growing in love, we need to examine how well we really know the God who is love itself.

The Challenge to Love Like God

But here’s where the challenge becomes even more demanding. God demonstrated His love for all by sending His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins, not because we deserved it, but precisely when we were still His enemies. This sets the bar for how we’re called to love others. It’s not about just loving those who love us back or waiting for people to earn our affection. It’s about taking the initiative. We are called to love sacrificially and to love even when it costs us something.

The challenge looks like loving the colleague who undermines us at work, the family member who has hurt us deeply, or the neighbor whose values completely oppose ours. It means choosing to act in love even when our feelings don’t align. It means extending grace when everything in us wants to hold onto resentment.

Conclusion

The challenge set out before us from 1 John 4:7-11 is clear: Love like God.  Will we allow God’s perfect love to flow through us to others, even when it’s difficult? Will we let His love transform not just our actions, but our hearts? Today, let’s ask Him to help us love others not as the world loves, but to love like God – unconditionally, sacrificially, and without limit.

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