This 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. – 1 John 4v9-11

How do we measure love? Usually we measure it by our own human standard. But no man’s love can define what love really is. True love is not that we love God – that is easy. The lesser can always love the greater but the inverse is not always true.

True love is the greater loving the lesser, the clean loving the dirty, the spotless loving the defiled, the mighty loving the weak, the master loving the servant, and the wise loving the foolish.

This love is seen in God sending His Son to die for us and to be the satisfaction for our sins. The is the ultimate example of love because real love is sacrifice and this is the ultimate sacrifice. God giving His perfect Son to die for a sinful world is the ultimate sacrifice and that is what love is all about!

He sent His Son to the propitiation, the appeasement, the treaty sealer, for our sins. What a measure of love when the offended one provides the propitiation!

And this is the love that He wants us to show to each other – a perfect, selfless, self-sacrificing love. This is love, how are we doing when it comes to showing it to others?