Loving Neighbors Near And Far: A 5-Day PlanSample

 What comes to your mind when you hear the word love? Pink and red hearts, like we see everywhere around Valentine’s Day? The way you feel when your mom or dad gives you a hug? A sloppy, wet kiss from your dog?

God has given us many kinds of love to enjoy. You share a different kind of love with your parents than you do with your friends. Loving your sister looks a bit different than loving your cat. Husbands and wives share a special love with each other that they don’t have with anyone else.

At its core, love means putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own. It means you are always thinking about what is good for that person and trying to make those good things come true. Love often comes with warm, fuzzy feelings but not always. Loving your parakeet means you give him food and water every day, even when you don’t feel like it. Loving your mom means you do what she asks, even if you’d rather be doing something else.

God showed us what true love is when he sent his Son to take the punishment for our sins. Jesus chose to be hurt and die for us—he chose what we needed over what he wanted. That’s called sacrifice—giving up something for the good of someone else.

In today’s verses, God calls us to love others like he loved us. That might mean sometimes giving up something we want. But don’t worry! Remember what we learned yesterday—God is watching out for us too. He loves it when we love others. When we give to others, we’re sharing from the gifts God has given us—and we can never out-give God.

Talk together: What would it look like in our family if we each put the others ahead of ourselves?