Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

The Holy Spirit made it abundantly clear that during this week where love is celebrated, He wants me to write about ‘D-Love’ of God.

I have been told to begin with writing about His Defining-Love

Today’s scripture, 1 John 4:7-8 (NLT), exhorts…
[7] Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
[8] But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Consider…
There’s a song that says…

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they’ll know we are Christians by our love

Those lyrics remind me of Jesus telling His disciples, including us, in John 13:34-35 (NIV)…
[34] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Today’s scripture and Jesus’ words make it crystal clear, our love for others is the identification card that says we belong to God!

Regardless of all the religious rules we try to obey, God says we’re not recognized as His without love. That truth ran me to the noted ‘love’ chapter of the Bible.

Look at what 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NLT) says…
[1] If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. [3] If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Reading that pressed play on Psalmist Yolanda Adams singing…

Gotta have love
Gotta have love
Gotta have love
Real love

When I was just a girl
My mama said to me
You can’t fight hate with hate
You gotta love unselfishly

Love is not just a word
But a way of life you keep
You need to know
You’re not here just to receive

Now that I’m older
Her advice I still take heed
For the power of his love
Lives in me

Ya gotta have love
Ya gotta have love on your mind
Ya gotta have love
Real love
Let your heart be your guide

The Holy Spirit is emphasizing that as lovers of God, love must define who we are! That’s because love is the prominent way God defines who He is…

In 1 John 4:10-11 (NLT) we’re told…
[10] This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. [11] Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

God says real love is unconditional and sacrificial. 🤔 Let that marinate!

Unconditional love includes loving our enemies. Jesus emphasized that in Luke 6:35-36 (NLT), when He said…
[35] “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
[36] You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Notice He said that by loving our enemies we are acting as children of the God!

In a world full of hate and intolerance, God says we must love and be compassionate like Him!

The Holy Spirit brought Colossians 3:13-14 (NLT) to mind for emphasis of that truth. It exhorts…
[13] Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. [14] Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Forgive and love are God’s expectations of His children.

As I wrote that, the Holy Spirit reminded me of one of my new favorite quotes, which is…
God does FOR YOU
As an example TO YOU
Of what’s required OF YOU

That makes me think of 1 John 3:16-19 (NLT), which says…
[16] 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. [17] If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? [18] Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. [19] Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.

Our love in action is living proof that we belong to God!

In John 15:12-14 (NLT) Jesus Himself emphasizes…
[12] This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. [13] There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command.

Wow, Jesus said our friendship with Him is defined by our sacrificial love for others!

Another key element of God’s Defining-Love is grace. Ephesians 2:3-5 (NLT) explains…
[3] All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. [4] But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

If we’ve seen that God wants us to love like Him, it stands to reason that we must extend grace because of His love to those who don’t deserve it. That may sound reckless, but Cory Asbury melodically reminds us…

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

I’m convinced that more than anything else that God requires His children, like His only begotten Son, to have unconditional, sacrificial and grace filled love for everyone!

As I wrote that the Holy Spirit showed me that’s partially why He inspired the Apostle Paul to write Romans 12:1 (NLT), which exhorts…
[1] And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

We’re to be a living sacrifice of love for our loving Heavenly Father, just like Jesus. The Holy Spirit underscored that truth with Ephesians 5:2 (NLT), which exhorts…
[2] Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

There you have it, we must live a life loving like Jesus!

Today’s song is…
Love Like Jesus

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)