We love
because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
This
week I had the pleasure of spending some time alone with my almost four year
old grandson Michael. We took a “long” trip to visit some of our family, which
translates we spent a lot of time riding in the car together. There were many
questions about boats, bridges and of course the length of the trip and how
much of it was left. He imagined pirates on the ships underneath of the Bay
Bridge, and he was so much more impressed with boats that were moving as
opposed to the ones that were still.
My
favorite part of traveling with Michael however, was the amount of times out
of the blue he told me “Ya-Ya, I love you.”
I would respond “I love you too sweetie,” and I would smile inside and
out as I looked back at him. Nothing warms a grandmother’s heart like hearing I
love you, not as a response, but just because.
Ephesians
5:1-2 in the Message says,
"Watch what God does, and then you do it, like
children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is
love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ
loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to
get something from us, but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that".
Not
cautious but extravagant is the kind of love I feel was given to me by Michael. He told me over and over that he loved me, as if it was the first time he had
said it to me. That is the way we are to
love one another. The scripture says, “Watch what God does, and then you do it.”
Who needs to know today how much they are
loved by Jesus and by you? Observe how He
loves us and pass it on.
~Donna
Action Step: Take a few minutes in quiet and think about--really think about-- how extravagantly you are loved by God. Detail it in your mind, or even write it in a journal or in your Bible. Ask Him to give you an opportunity to love someone who needs it today.
Thanks so much for this important reminder. What a beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI love the reminder to watch what God DOES, not what God "says." I tend to talk waaayyy too much! I need to reflect on what my actions are saying to others. I get so focused on what I'm saying, forgetting that my actions say a lot more about to whom I belong.
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