Don't Forget, I Love You!
READ: 1 John 3:13-18
“Don’t forget, I love you!” Has your mother ever said these words to you as you were leaving? Or, have you said them to someone that you weren’t going to see for a long time? Everyone has said these words to someone at one point, but did you ever think about why you say them?
God has given us more love than we ever deserved. After Adam and Eve defied Him in the Garden of Eden, He could have said, “Sorry, I told you what to do and you didn’t. Now you have to pay.” Instead, He chose to send His only Son for those same people. God also shows us love in many ways. He gives us everything that we need.
Since we know that God loves us, what should we do with this knowledge? God answers that question in 1 John 3:16, when He says, “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 our brothers.” Because Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross for us, our natural response should be to show love to others around us.
So, the next time you see someone down in the dumps, you just might want to tell them, “Don’t forget, God loves you, and so do I!”
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: What are some ways that you can show love to the people around you? What does God mean when He says, “We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers?” When is a time that you could have shown love and did not?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Thank God for showing His love for us by sending Jesus. Ask God to help you to be an example to those around you.