At the center of the Christian message is this simple yet profound truth: God is love. His love was revealed most clearly in the sending of His Son, not because we first loved Him, but because He loved us.

Scripture
“Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 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. 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.” — 1 John 4:7–10 (NLT)

Reflection
Love is not just something God does—it is who He is. Every true expression of love flows from Him, because He is the source. To know God is to love, and to refuse love is to show that we do not truly know Him.

John points to the ultimate proof of God’s love: the sending of His Son. Love is not defined by our attempts to reach God, but by His gracious initiative to reach us. Jesus came into the world to give us life, offering Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. This is love in its purest form—self-giving, sacrificial, undeserved.

When we grasp this love, we are not only forgiven but transformed. As John writes later, “We love each other because he loved us first” (1 John 4:19, NLT). The love of God poured into our hearts enables us to love others in ways that reflect Him.

Application
Pause and remember that God’s love for you does not rest on your worthiness but on His character. Receive His love afresh today, and let it flow outward toward others. Look for one practical way to reflect His sacrificial love—a word of encouragement, an act of service, or forgiveness where it’s needed.

References
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” — Romans 5:8 (NLT)

Prayer
Father, thank You for loving me first and sending Jesus to give me life. Teach me to rest in Your love when I feel unworthy, and let that love shape my actions toward others. May Your Spirit fill me so that my life reflects the God who is love. Amen.