Love: what a beautiful thing, so often complicated by human design. At its most pure, love is deciding that someone else matters more than you and putting their needs above your own. Jesus called us to a difficult purpose. We are to make love our defining feature, the thing that makes us unique among all other people.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

1 John 4:20-21

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:33-35

Dear God, as we walk with you please help us to always be putting this one goal above others; help us to resemble you so that when we say “God is love” people know what love looks like. Amen.

Ethan Kirl

Originally published January 15, 2021