Love and Giving
Scripture Reading — 1 John 4:7-12
If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12
Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who kept a diary while hiding from Nazi soldiers during their occupation of the Netherlands, penned these words: "No one has ever become poor by giving." Indeed, in many ways we are made spiritually rich by giving.
In John 3:16 we read that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This passage tells us that God offers salvation and eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ.
This passage, along with our reading for today, also tells us something about the nature of love. We read that God so loved the world that he gave his Son. From this we learn that love involves giving. If we love, we give. When we truly have love in our hearts, we are willing to give of our time, energy, finances, and other resources to help others and to minister to them.
God has shown us love by giving us his Son, and when his love fills our hearts through faith, it transforms us. We become more Christlike and we want to share God's love in everything we do.
Through giving and living out our love, which comes from God, we also find we are blessed with the spiritual richness of knowing that "if we love one another, God lives in us."
Lord, on this Christmas Day fill our hearts with your love so that we want to give. May the gifts we offer to you and others reflect the love and Spirit of Christ working in us. Amen.
About the author — Joel Sheeres
Rev. Joel Sheeres is the pastor at First Christian Reformed Church in Crown Point, Indiana. He and his wife, Christine, have three children. Pastor Sheeres has previously served at Faith Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst, Illinois.
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