"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another."
1 John 4:7-11, NRSV

While John continues on the theme of examing the spirits and false teachers, (or even false Christians) he also revisits the topic of love in today's passage.

Other than the previous two methods, there is another way to differentiate the two. To me, the methods mentioned in verses 1-3 and verse 5-6 are more defensive and the one introduced in today's texts is more on the proactive side. That is to see if someone is loving. But it's not any love; it is the unconditional love—the agape love. Becuase God is love!

In verse 9 he says that we who originally deemed to die received life through the death of Jesus Christ and that demonstrates how God loves us. It is because that He first loved us, we also love others with the same love.

In one of my sharings to a group of seniors, I asked them to share one loving person in their lives in small groups. In their stories, those people they encountered truly embodies the love of Christ.

Likewise, I invite you to share with your devotional partner of one experience that you feel loved by someone. What did that person do and why do you think what this person did reflect the love of Christ? Pray for one another that you'll bear more and more loving image of Christ.