7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.–1 John 4 (with emphasis)
- Just look at all those times I underlined “love.”
- God seems to want you to focus more on love than on hate.
- God expects you to love people. In the Gospels, Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and to love our neighbors.
- Always remember, our capacity to love first starts in God. God loved us first before we ever loved Him. God is the standard.
- God’s love made it possible for you to receive His forgiveness. His love sent Jesus to pay the price for your sins.
- We are to love people God’s way and with God’s standards. You should want to see His love perfected in you.
- How you show that love to other people says a lot about your love for God. In counseling, I like to say love shows up with selflessness, sacrifice, and service.–JMB
Joel M Bradshaw 
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