Week 4: The Human JourneySample

Have you ever wondered what real love is? We often think love is a feeling, but John tells us in today’s verses that real love occurs when someone gives up their life for someone else.

Jesus showed us what love truly is when he gave his life for us on the cross. We did not earn his love; he offered it to us purely out of grace.

If love were something we could earn, it wouldn’t be love at all—it would be something we are owed. True love, like what Jesus shows us, means giving everything, even to those who don’t deserve it.

The essence of Jesus’s call to discipleship requires a commitment to love as Jesus loved. However, this is easier said than done. If we find ourselves struggling to love as Jesus did, the answer isn’t to feel guilty and try harder; it’s to reflect on the immense grace Jesus has shown us. When we recognize how much we’ve been given, it becomes easier to respond with gratitude and generosity to God and to others.

Read: 1 John 3:16-18

Reflection Questions

1. How is God speaking to me through these verses?
2. What does this set of verses teach me about God?
3. What does this show me about the good news of Jesus?
4. How can I apply what I read today?