Loved First

“We love because he first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

A couple of nights ago, we were watching a show in which one of the characters tells another he loves her. Later, she calls him to say she loves him too. It’s an experience that may resonate with you. But in that time—even if it’s the briefest of moments—we may have doubts about whether our love will be returned. In today’s verse, there is no room for doubt about whether we are loved.

John reminds us that our love is not something we muster up on our own. It is a response to God’s love already given. Verse 16 says, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.” 

In Wesleyan tradition, we call this prevenient grace—the grace that goes before us. Before we even think to love God, before we can choose Him, His love is already reaching out, awakening us, and making our response possible. God’s love is not tentative, not waiting to see if we will respond. It is the foundation, the starting point, the source.

This truth invites us to rest in God’s initiating love. We don’t have to earn it, prove ourselves worthy of it, or wonder if it will last. Instead, we can let His love flow through us into our relationships, our communities, and even toward those who are hardest to love. When we rely on His love, ours becomes more resilient, more generous, more like Christ’s.

Loving God, thank You for loving us first. Thank You that Your love is steady, sure, and unchanging. Help us to rest in that love and to let it shape how we love others. May our lives reflect Your love in word and deed, so that others may come to know You as the source of all love. Amen.

Peace & Grace,

Pastor Tim