Love Like Christ
Written by Jedidiah Stevens
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
- 1 John 4:9-10
Earlier this year, I was in Colorado for a long weekend. I came across a man sitting next to the sidewalk holding a sign reading “Need Food.” I stopped and offered to help. He was enthusiastic in his acceptance of the offer. And so I went on to purchase enough food for us to share. When I returned to him, I sat to eat with him there next to the sidewalk. It quickly became clear that, more than a meal, he needed someone to listen, pray with him, and show him love.
Thinking back on that experience reminds me of how Christ has loved us. In the midst of our need, Christ came to sit with us in our suffering and to show us love. 1 John 4:19 tells us, “We love because he first loved us.” It is the love of Christ that motivates and compels us to see those in need around us and to love them in the same way that Christ has loved us.
This season, my encouragement for us is to remember the love that Christ has shown us and to lift our eyes, not only to see those in need around us, but also to show them the love that Christ has shown us.
PRAYER: Lord, help us to see and show the love You have shown us to the people around us. Amen.
