God is Love
READ: 1 John 3:15-18
"I hate you!" screamed Joey at his little brother. Joey then stormed off to his room and slammed the door.
Joey's brother began to cry. He didn't mean to break Joey's favorite toy. He just wanted to play with it while his brother was at school.
A short time later, Joey crept slowly out of his room and into the living room where his brother was sitting.
"I'm sorry," said Joey sincerely to his brother, "I didn't mean to yell at you." Then Joey walked over to his brother and gave him a big hug.
That day at school, Joey had learned about Jesus' death on the cross and how He paid for the sins of the whole world because he loved everyone so much. While Joey was in his room, he realized that he should love his brother just like Jesus loved him.
We should follow this simple example by showing love to others, mirroring the love Christ displayed for us on the cross. For it says in 1 John, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for out brothers." 1 John also says, "Let us not love with words of tongue but with actions and in truth." Joey demonstrated both verbal love, when he apologized to his younger brother, and physical love, when he gave his brother a simple hug; all in response to what Jesus did for him. We too can show these acts of love in our lives today.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: Describe a time in your life recently when you had to apologize to someone for something you did wrong. Besides showing love, how else can we mirror Jesus' actions in our lives? How can you perform simple acts of love in you life?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Pray for forgiveness for something wrong you have done or said to someone. Pray for help in showing love and kindness toward others. Thanks to God for sending his only Son to die for all our sins so we can be in heaven someday!