April 21, 2015: 1 John 3:16-24

We encourage you to read this devotion three times a day.  Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning reflection question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the noon question for reflection.  For the evening, take time to ponder how this has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening question.  We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we invite you to pray what is in your heart.

1 John 3:16-24

¹⁶ This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ But if a person has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and that person doesn’t care—how can the love of God remain in him?
¹⁸ Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. ¹⁹ This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts in God’s presence. ²⁰ Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence in relationship to God. ²² We receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. ²³ This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love each other as he commanded us. ²⁴ The person who keeps his commandments remains in God and God remains in him; and this is how we know that he remains in us, because of the Spirit that he has given to us.

Reflection:
One of my older nieces has a sweet and compassionate heart. I think I could name many stories of her displaying this heart.  There was this one time that she kept saving any loose change she got. Whether it came from the tooth fairy or birthday money; it went into her bank.  Finally, she had enough to buy her mom a birthday gift.  It took months of saving, which for a kid seems like years, and with that one goal in mind she gave it all away for a gift.  Maybe this is what this scripture is telling us to do.  We have been shown such selfless and sacrificial love and how do we pay it forward? Are we willing to give all that we have for someone else?  Maybe it's time that we do.

Reflection Questions: 
Morning: How have you experienced selfless love?
Noon: What does it mean to show someone this love and your faith?
Evening: How will you respond to someone in need?