This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:10
We’ve all heard how important it is to love God. Growing up, I’d often watch people worship with tears streaming down their cheeks as they sang, “I love You, Jesus.” It bothered me that I didn’t have those feelings, which caused me to wonder what was wrong with me.
I wanted to love God. I even asked him to help me love him more. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that I was going about it all wrong.
You see, it’s not about how much you love God.
In a love relationship, people are always measuring how much they love each other. We want to make sure we’re not doing all the giving while the other is doing the taking. We want balanced love relationships, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But when it comes to growing your love for someone, and especially growing your love for God, that’s the wrong way to look at it. Today’s verse gives us the right perspective: it’s not about our love for God; it’s about his love for us and what he’s done for us because of that love.
Do you know what grows your love for God more than anything? It’s realizing how much he loves you! He sent his son Jesus to die for you all because he wanted to have a relationship with you. When you think about how great his love for you is, your love for him will grow.
Today I’m challenging you to put the focus where it belongs. God loves you!