May 5 2024 —
The entirety of God’s Word can be summed up in one word: love. God’s Law is all about love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37,39). The gospel is all about love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). From His compassion for the sick and broken, to His sacrificial death on the cross, to the peace He provided after His resurrection, Jesus was the perfect embodiment of love. Love is His business.
Therefore, love is our business too. The resurrection reality is that with the same supernatural power by which God raised Jesus from the dead, God now enables us to live a new life—one marked by radically selfless love. The motivation and ability to do this comes from seeing the endless love Christ has for us. We love only because He first loved us.
Our Readings:
Acts 9:36-42 – Because Tabitha loved Jesus, she was always helping the poor in the town of Joppa. Because Jesus loved the people of Joppa, he had Peter raise Tabitha from the dead.
1 John 4:7-11,19-21 – Friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
John 15:9-17 – The living Lord gives us this command. Remain in his love so that we might also love each other.
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