GOD VALUES LOVE BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read 1 John 4:16-19.
Verse of the Day:Â âGod is loveâ (1 John 4:16).
âMom, Curtis pushed me!â Tina cried as she burst into the house.
âDid not!â Curtis protested, following closely on her heels.
âDid too!â Tina said, barely holding back the tears in her eyes. âI hate you!â
âAll right now,â Mom said. âThatâs enough. Both of you come sit at the table.â The children sat in chairs on opposite sides of the kitchen table.
âTina,â Mom said, âyou donât hate your brother. At least I hope you donât.â
âWellâŠ,â Tina said, hesitating, âI donât love him.â
âYou should,â Mom said, âbecause love is right. You know that. God commands us to love each other because he values love. And he values love because he is love.â
âI know,â Tina said. She glared across the table at Curtis. âI try to love him, Mom, I really do. But then he goes and does something really mean.â
âAnd you, Curtis,â Mom said, turning to her son. âYou ought to love your sister.â
Curtis said, âI canât, Mom. Sheâs my sister.â He spoke the word with a snarl.
âWell, youâre right,â Mom said, âin a way. Neither one of you can love the other . . . not on your own, at least.â
âWhat do you mean?â Tina asked.
âWell, love doesnât come from us,â Mom said. âSo we canât manufacture it. It comes from God.â She reached out and turned over one of Tinaâs hands. âJust like those stains on your hands come from the berry patch.â
Tina flashed a guilty look at her mom. âWe were in the raspberries again.â
âI know,â Mom said. âI can tell. When youâve been in the raspberries, you come home wearing the evidence. The berry juice just rubs off, doesnât it?â
Curtis and Tina nodded.
âItâs the same with loving someone else when it doesnât come easily. Wishing wonât help. And trying wonât help. Love comes from God, because he is love. So if you want to love someone, youâve got to start letting Godâs love ârub off on you. If you live in Godâand I know you both doâyouâve got to give his love a chance to grow in you, through daily prayer and Bible reading, for example. The more time you spend with him, the more your attitudes toward each other will change.â âI guess we need to go wash our hands now, donât we?â Curtis asked. Mom nodded. âYou need to do something else, too.â Curtis looked from his mom to his sister. âIâm sorry,â he said to Tina. âMe too,â Tina answered. She stood. âLetâs go,â she said to Curtis.
TO DISCUSS: How can you love someone when it doesnât come naturally or easily? Will wishing or trying help? Why or why not?
TO PRAY: âLoving God, we admit that we canât love anyone on our own. Thank you for helping us to love others.â