Loved to Love --- Be Filled 1st then Give Out --- 1 John 4:19

 Be Filled 1st then Give Out --- Loved to Love

1 John 4:19—"We love because He first loved us"

First, we taste the love of God so that we can love others with His love. As in John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Implications:

• #1 Hurt people will hurt people
• #2 Loved people will love people
• #3 When we don't feel we are able to love others, it is because we have not tasted or been filled with God's love
• #4 Changing others begins with us changing our attitudes and behavior towards them. e.g. story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 the tax collectors automatically repented because of Jesus wanting to dine with him.

Personal Meditation:

• # Gratitude: Take a moment to thank God for loving you first, even before you knew Him or turned to Him.
• # Reflection: Think about times when you have felt God's love profoundly, and how it shaped your ability to love others.
• # Application: Consider how you can let His love guide your actions and attitudes today. How can you show love to someone who might not expect it or cannot repay it?

Unable to Love?

• #1 Root of Loving Others:      Our ability to love is not generated by sheer willpower alone; it’s a response to the love we have received. If we feel unable to love others, it’s a signal that we may need to reconnect with and be filled by the source—God's love.
• #2 Tasting God's Love:     When we truly taste and experience God’s unconditional love, it changes us from the inside out. This love is transformative and fills our hearts to the point where loving others becomes an overflow of what we have received.
• #3 Barriers to Feeling Loved:      Sometimes, we don’t feel filled with God’s love due to barriers such as guilt, shame, distractions, or misconceptions about His character. Addressing these barriers and opening ourselves up to His love can help restore our capacity to love others.
• #4 Daily Connection:      Continually returning to God through prayer, scripture, and quiet reflection can help us stay aware of His love. When we meditate on His goodness, kindness, forgiveness, and patience toward us, it softens our hearts and replenishes our ability to extend love to others.

Prayer:

“Lord, thank You for loving me first and showing me what real love is. Help me to receive Your love more fully so that I may share it genuinely with those around me. Let Your love transform my heart and flow through my words and deeds.

I recognize that my ability to love others comes from knowing and experiencing Your love. When I feel empty or unable to love, remind me to come back to You, the true source. Fill me with Your love so that it overflows to those around me. Help me to rest in Your embrace and let that security guide my interactions. Amen.”