Day 28 - April 1
Scripture Reading
1 John 4:7-21 (NLT)
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.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 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. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
Prayer Focus
For the Holy Spirit to increase our love for others
Heavenly Father, we come before you in awe of your perfect love as revealed in Scripture. We thank you for showing us that love originates from you, and that you are love itself. Lord, help us to love one another as a reflection of your love for us, remembering that you loved us first and sending your only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. We pray for the strength to love our brothers and sisters, both those we can see and those we cannot, as a testament to our love for you. May your love be perfected in us, casting out all fear and giving us confidence on the day of judgment. We ask that you help us abide in your love, so that we may truly know you and reflect your love to the world around us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
~ Abstracts contained in:
Mary Scifres and David L. Bone, The United Methodist Music & Worship Planner 2023-2024 CEB Edition (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2023), 98.
Thomas G. Long, Cynthia L. Rigby, et al., eds., Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship: Year B: Lent through Pentecost, First edition., vol. 2 of Connections (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2020), 256.
Reflection Question
How can I better represent God’s love in my daily interactions with others?