My First Purpose Is to Be Loved by God

In review of 1 John 4:19 it says, “We love because he first loved us” (NIV).

Today’s verse from 1 John 4 reminds me that God is love, and all who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them. And when I live in God, my love grows more perfect. Such love has no fear, because perfect love will expel all fear. I can love others because he loves me first.

I’m also reminded that when I gave my life to Christ, I received the Holy Spirit. This is God's presence in my life and proof that I really belong to him. He gives me the power to love. I can rely on that power as I reach out to others. His love will quiet my fears and give me confidence. God's love is the source of all human love.

It's easy to say I love God when that love doesn't cost me anything. The real test of my love for God is how I treat the people right in front of me. I cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in him image.

I think this morning that God really wants me to understand how important it is to know how much He loves me. Love is always a response to love. The Bible says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV). If I find myself saying, “I don’t love God enough,” it’s because I don’t understand just how much he really loves me.

Part of understanding my life’s purpose and calling, is to begin with God’s nature. God is love. Love is the essence of his nature. The only reason there is love in the universe is because of God. Ants and snails do not love, but I was made in God’s image, so that I can love.

The reason I’m alive is because God wanted to love me. The first purpose of my life is to be loved by God! While it's important to serve, obey, and trust him, my greatest purpose is to love him.

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT).

My first purpose is not to do anything but to just be loved by God.

Bottom Line:

Love because he loves us.

What this means to me:

My ability to truly love others is because he first loved me.

Today, I will keep in mind that God loves me. What happens in my life are all part of his purpose for me. As such I ask Him to guide my actions and help me to love others through my interactions with them. I also ask him for his peace as I manage a growing todo list and set of deadline driven requests.