Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
1 John 3:21-23
Love Pleases God
Daily Devotion – May 3, 2024
Devotion based on 1 John 3:21-23
See series: Devotions
God has not only made you the object of his love, but he has also made you the subject who gets to love others. Like an object placed in a sentence that receives the action of the verb, God has placed people in your life to receive the action of your love. God calls them another, which means the objects to whom you can show your love can be anyone besides yourself.
As we talk about the objects of our love, we could talk about humanitarian aid, civil service, or random acts of kindness, but perhaps we should start with the objects of love God has placed in your home, people closest to you, likely the people to whom you have already said, “I love you.”
You can show your love in many ways to these people, but if you want to make your love visible, try doing something new. Perhaps it is vacuuming the living room or doing the dishes. It might be packing a lunch for your spouse or drawing a picture for your mommy.
I bet they will be pleased by it. I know God will. When we show our love by doing these things for one another, the apostle John says we “do what pleases him (God).” When the objects of God’s love also become the subjects who love others, God is pleased.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for making me an object of your love. Thank you also for putting people in my life to be the objects of my love. Help me to think of clever and creative ways to show others my love through the things I do. Amen.
