Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In 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. In 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. I John 4:7-11(ESV)
Let's be honest, loving others is not easy. It requires a lot of effort and sacrifice on our part and it may or may not be reciprocated or even acknowledged. There are many things we risk if we are really willing to love others - our time, energy and money. Do our kids see us willing to sacrifice these things? Are we ready and willing to feed the hungry and give money to the poor? Kids get so caught up in "I want" and "I need" but they rarely have a case of "let's give". We need to teach our kids to be generous not just by being an occasional giver, but by making a lifestyle habit out of loving others by sharing what we have. What if we take it a step further? If we are willing to get out of our comfort zone and love others besides relatives and friends, then we may also have to risk our agenda, position, or safety. It is easy to give money to a non-profit or serve a meal at a shelter to strangers and faces without names. But, what if we really invested in someone in need: welcomed them into our home, got to know their family and situation, shared the gospel and took them to church? As I John says God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to be the payment for our sins. If God loves us like that, shouldn't we do everything we can to share that love with others?
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