We Love Because God First Loved Us

[We Love Because God First Loved Us]( Current Teaching Series [40 Days of Love]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [We Love Because God First Loved Us]( By Rick Warren — 09/22/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (NIV) God is always first in everything. He takes the initiative. The only reason you can love God or anybody else is because God first loved you. The Bible says in 1 John 4:19, “We love because [God] first loved us” (NIV). God has shown us his love in so many ways. He showed his love by sending Jesus Christ to Earth to die for you. He showed his love by creating you. He showed his love by giving you everything you have in life. We love because God first loved us. If you want to learn how to love other people, you’ve got to first understand and feel how much God loves you. When you feel his unconditional love, you’re going to start cutting people a lot more slack. You’re not going to be as angry as you’ve been in the past. You’re going to be more patient. You’re going to be more forgiving. You’re going to be more merciful. You’re going to show other people grace. The reason why you see people who are judgmental, sarcastic, angry, self-righteous, and always putting other people down is because they don’t really grasp how much God loves them. And that usually means they don’t feel good about themselves because they don’t feel loved or forgiven. They haven’t fully understood God’s grace, and so they feel guilty and bad about themselves. And if they feel bad about themselves, they certainly don’t want you feeling good about yourself. Maybe you’re one of those people. Maybe you’ve been hurt by parents or peers or partners. Maybe you’ve been abused, misused, rejected, abandoned, or betrayed. You’ve got some scars on your heart. Here’s the truth: You cannot give to others what you have not received yourself. Unlovely people are unloved people. Hurt people hurt people. If you’re filled with anger and impatience and you don’t feel loved, guess what? You won’t be able to love anybody else. You have to learn how much God loves you and let it heal your heart so his love can flow through you. It is impossible to love others until you really feel loved yourself. The Bible says, “We know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16 NIV). Do you know the love of God? Do you rely on the love God has for you? You will have an easier time loving other people when you have God’s love flowing through you. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Do you love others with the love of God? If so, how do you show that love to them? - Why does understanding God’s love help you show grace to others? - What hurt from your past is keeping you from accepting God’s love and showing it to others? The post [We Love Because God First Loved Us]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the 40 Days of Love Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( God wants you to know how deeply loved you are—and to let that love lead your life decisions! Learn how with Pastor Rick’s 40 Days of Love Bible Study, our thanks for your gift to reach more people around the world with the message of God’s love through Daily Hope. In this six-session video study with companion workbook, Pastor Rick shares practical, Christ-centered teaching to help you authentically love God and love your neighbor. By focusing on patience, kindness, truth, and forgiveness, you’ll discover how to let God’s love lead you into the full life he has for you! [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series 40 Days of Love. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: It's All About Love Message 2: Love Matters Most Message 3: Loving Like Jesus Loves Me Message 4: Love Lets It Go Message 5: Love is Not Easily Angered Message 6: The Secrets of Lasting Love [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. 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