One of my favorite songs this time of year is Shawn Colvin’s soothing version of “Love Came Down at Christmas".
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.
Love literally came down at Christmas. It says in the Bible that God is love… so when He was born, love in bodily form appeared on earth.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is LOVE.
And what is love? We read in 1 Corinthians 13 that…
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not boast.
Love is not proud.
Love does not dishonor others.
Love is not self-seeking.
Love is not easily angered.
Love keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil (but rejoices with the truth).
Love always protects.
Love always trusts.
Love always hopes.
Love always perseveres.
Love never fails.
As I have read through this summarization over the years, I have often felt that I’m being given an excellent example of how to love… but also a goal that is unattainable. We all know our own shortcomings too well to be able to live out the 1 Corinthians 13 definition of love perfectly. These are good attributes to work toward, but impossible to carry out on our own.
However, knowing that God is love, we can look at this through a different lens. We can have confidence that…
God is patient.
God is kind.
God does not envy.
God does not boast.
God is not proud.
God does not dishonor others.
God is not self-seeking.
God is not easily angered.
God keeps no record of wrongs.
God does not delight in evil (but rejoices with the truth).
God always protects.
God always trusts.
God always hopes.
God always perseveres.
God never fails.
We can know that God’s PERFECT love will never fail us, even when we fail as we try to love others (or others fail as they try to love us).
Today I encourage you to look at these two lists again as you think about God’s love. Consider how you are loved and how you can love others as God loves you. First, read again about who God is and choose one truth that you need to hear today. Underline it. Be confident that God is true to his character and loves you with the kindness, truth or perseverance you are longing for. Then, read again about how we are called to LOVE and choose one way you are going to specifically extend God’s love to someone else today.
READ:
- "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
REFLECT:
- What does it mean to you that God’s love is unconditional?
- How can reflecting on God’s love inspire you to love others, especially those who are difficult to love?
- What is one way you can share God’s love with someone this Christmas?
PRAY:
- Father, thank You for loving me first and showing me what true love looks like. Help me to receive Your love fully and share it generously with others. Teach me to love with patience, kindness, and grace, just as You have loved me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
