It is impossible to separate God from love. He IS love. So, it follows that I can’t be a follower of God without having love as my number one goal. Every day, in everything I do and say.

“And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” (1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬, CSB‬‬)

“The one who remains in love remains in God.”

This is why I am so confused and dismayed when I see people say things like “God hates fags,” or when they decide bombing a clinic or tearing families in desperate situations apart or kidnapping people from the street and sending them to horrible places without any due process is what God would want.

Jesus came to die for your and my sins, in our places. That is love. He also came to die for all the other sinners, too. All of them. No matter what they have done. He came to die for people you disagree with. That is not hate, it is love. He came because He loves them. We should too.

Jesus also came to teach us about God’s love in practical every day ways, as well. He had compassion on hurting people of all kinds. He listened, He healed, He taught, and He loved.

The one time He got angry was when the religious leaders had put up barriers between God and the people. He went into the temple courtyard and broke down all those barriers. He did even that for love.

If Christians get angry about anything, it should start with people or institutions, especially church leaders, that hinder people from knowing and understanding God’s true character. He is love. Not hate. He is welcoming, forgiving, and generous. He is holy, true, but that’s why Jesus came — so that love could wipe out our sins, and we could all run to Him, just we are.

Dear God, thank you so much for your undeserved love. Thank you for sending Jesus to teach us about love in so many ways. I know you are love. Fill me with your Spirit of love so that love is my first reaction in all my interactions today.