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 (NIV)
I grew up in a small town in the prairies. If you visit that area in the spring, you can look out on elds of black soil ready for planting as far as the eye can see. You can also see granaries holding the seed to be planted.
If you visit in late summer, things look very different. The granaries are empty, and instead of black soil, you can see ripe grain waving in the wind. But before the farmers could even think about reaping that harvest, they had to do the work of getting the seed into the soil.
You’re a lot like those farmers. You own the seed (God’s Word) and the soil (your heart). As God’s Word goes into your heart, you grow crops of love. You begin to experience God’s love and love others like you never dreamed possible.
The truth is the potential to experience love like this is already in you. When you are spiritually reborn, you gain God’s nature. Christ is in you; therefore, there’s no limit to your potential to love! You just need to turn that potential into reality.
Keep planting seeds of love. As you read the Bible to discover God’s love for you, it’s incredible what happens. First John 4:11 says that His love can cause you to love others. Then it goes on to explain what happens next: “If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (v. 12, NIV).
God’s love is made complete in you when you experience His love. Let that love empower you to love others.