Motivated by the Love of God
January 26, 2015
Steven Ackley, Associate Pastor | College & Young Adults
Everything we do is motivated by something. When it comes to
loving one another, it is vitally important that we ask the question “why?” How
we answer that question will likely indicate what we believe about the love of
God. Do I love other Christians out of obligation, to manage their image of me,
to get something from them, or even to ‘spite’ them? These types of motivation
indicate a misunderstanding of God’s love for us.
Instead, what if we loved because He (God) first loved us? What
if our motivation was the truth that God loves us, the sacrificial love He has
shown us, and the display of that love being the same for all Christians in all
places? This type of motivation would indicate that we understand what Paul was
saying in 1 Corinthians 13 when he unpacked the selfless, gracious, abiding
love that we ought to see in Christ and display in our lives.
The Bible says that the only right motivation for loving
other Christians is the love of God itself. So, as you consider the call this
week to love one another don’t only ask, “do I?” but also ask, “why?”
TWEET
THIS: There is a direct relationship between our love for one
another and our understanding of God’s love for us. #UpperRoom
ADDITIONAL
SCRIPTURES: 1 John 4:19
