LOVE COSTS!

1 John 4:7-11 – Devotional

1 John 4:7-11

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.“

I am sick to death of the self-centered, self-seeking concept of love that is to be seen all around us. True love is a love that costs us dearly without the expectation of receiving something.

In my pre-teen years, the school teacher was our ultimate authority. I can recall one teacher who walked around the room with a ruler in her hand. If she was unhappy with something you were doing, she would bring the ruler down across the back of your hand. One day she hit my hand for something and the ruler broke. She went into a tantrum as she blamed me for the broken ruler.

Some years ago I recall reading the illustration of a male teacher who was punishing a class bully. He made the boy go outside and cut a switch and bring it back. The teacher asked the class (most of whom had been bullied by this boy) how many lashes he deserved. It was a significant number.

The teacher called the boy to the front of the room. He was trembling with dread at the thought of his punishment. Instead the teacher leaned across his desk and demanded that the boy give him the punishment. Soon the boy, as well as the entire class was sobbing. They begged the teacher to have the boy stop, but he demanded the full punishment.

Why did the teacher do that? It was to teach his class a lesson about the high cost of love. He explained to them that this was the same love that God demonstrated in sending His precious Son, Jesus, to take our punishment upon Himself. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Have you received God’s greatest gift?

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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