We Love Because God First Loved Us

pastorrick.com/we-love-because-god-first-loved-us
September 22, 2023

by Rick Warren — September 22, 2023

From 40 Days of Love

“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

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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?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

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