Known by Love
08/07/2026
There are a lot of things we try to be known for. Our work ethic. Our accomplishments. Our personalities. Even our failures have a way of trying to define us. But John reminds us that the defining characteristic of every believer isn’t what we’ve done, it’s the love of God that has been poured into our lives and now lives within us.
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
- 1 John 4:16 (ESV)
John doesn’t simply tell us that God has love. He tells us that God is love. Love isn’t just one of His attributes; it is part of His very nature. Every act of grace, every expression of mercy, every promise He has ever kept flows from who He is.
Notice something else in this verse. John says, “We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.” Those are two different things.
Many people know about God’s love. They’ve heard the sermons. They’ve read the verses. They can quote John 3:16 without hesitation. But believing His love, that’s another matter. Believing that He still loves you after you’ve failed. Believing that He loves you when life doesn’t make sense. Believing that His love isn’t based on your performance but on His character.
John had learned that lesson personally. He was the disciple who rested his head against Jesus at the Last Supper. He watched Jesus wash dirty feet, forgive broken sinners, and stretch out His arms on a cross for people who mocked Him. By the time John writes this letter, he isn’t speaking from theory. He’s speaking from a lifetime of walking with Christ. He had come to know, and truly believe, the love of God.
Then John introduces a word that appears throughout his writings: abide.
Abiding isn’t a quick visit. It isn’t checking in with God on Sunday and then living independently the rest of the week. To abide is to remain, to stay connected, to make your home in Him. Just as a branch draws its life from the vine, our hearts are strengthened as we stay close to Christ.
The beautiful result is that His love doesn’t just comfort us, it begins to transform us. We become more patient when we’d rather be impatient. We become more forgiving when we’d rather hold a grudge. We begin seeing people the way Jesus sees them. The more we abide in Him, the more His love is produced in us.
Maybe today you need to stop trying so hard to earn God’s approval and simply rest in His love. You don’t have to convince Him to love you. He already demonstrated that at the cross. Our calling isn’t to manufacture love on our own. It’s to remain close to the One who is love itself.
And when we do, His love naturally begins to overflow into every relationship we have.
Action Steps
* Spend a few quiet minutes today thanking God specifically for ways He has shown His love to you.
* Ask yourself if there is any relationship where you have stopped reflecting Christ’s love. Pray for that person by name.
* Make time today to simply abide with Jesus through prayer and Scripture instead of rushing through your devotional time.
Challenge for the Day
Before you go to bed tonight, intentionally show God’s love to one person who cannot repay you. It may be a phone call, a kind word, an act of generosity, or simply giving someone your full attention.
Prayer
Father, thank You for loving me long before I ever deserved it. Help me move beyond simply knowing about Your love to fully believing it with my whole heart. Teach me to abide in You every day so that Your love is seen in my words, my attitudes, and my actions. Let the people around me experience Your love because they have encountered me today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Jeff
#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign
There are a lot of things we try to be known for. Our work ethic. Our accomplishments. Our personalities. Even our failures have a way of trying to define us. But John reminds us that the defining characteristic of every believer isn’t what we’ve done, it’s the love of God that has been poured into our lives and now lives within us.
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
- 1 John 4:16 (ESV)
John doesn’t simply tell us that God has love. He tells us that God is love. Love isn’t just one of His attributes; it is part of His very nature. Every act of grace, every expression of mercy, every promise He has ever kept flows from who He is.
Notice something else in this verse. John says, “We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.” Those are two different things.
Many people know about God’s love. They’ve heard the sermons. They’ve read the verses. They can quote John 3:16 without hesitation. But believing His love, that’s another matter. Believing that He still loves you after you’ve failed. Believing that He loves you when life doesn’t make sense. Believing that His love isn’t based on your performance but on His character.
John had learned that lesson personally. He was the disciple who rested his head against Jesus at the Last Supper. He watched Jesus wash dirty feet, forgive broken sinners, and stretch out His arms on a cross for people who mocked Him. By the time John writes this letter, he isn’t speaking from theory. He’s speaking from a lifetime of walking with Christ. He had come to know, and truly believe, the love of God.
Then John introduces a word that appears throughout his writings: abide.
Abiding isn’t a quick visit. It isn’t checking in with God on Sunday and then living independently the rest of the week. To abide is to remain, to stay connected, to make your home in Him. Just as a branch draws its life from the vine, our hearts are strengthened as we stay close to Christ.
The beautiful result is that His love doesn’t just comfort us, it begins to transform us. We become more patient when we’d rather be impatient. We become more forgiving when we’d rather hold a grudge. We begin seeing people the way Jesus sees them. The more we abide in Him, the more His love is produced in us.
Maybe today you need to stop trying so hard to earn God’s approval and simply rest in His love. You don’t have to convince Him to love you. He already demonstrated that at the cross. Our calling isn’t to manufacture love on our own. It’s to remain close to the One who is love itself.
And when we do, His love naturally begins to overflow into every relationship we have.
Action Steps
* Spend a few quiet minutes today thanking God specifically for ways He has shown His love to you.
* Ask yourself if there is any relationship where you have stopped reflecting Christ’s love. Pray for that person by name.
* Make time today to simply abide with Jesus through prayer and Scripture instead of rushing through your devotional time.
Challenge for the Day
Before you go to bed tonight, intentionally show God’s love to one person who cannot repay you. It may be a phone call, a kind word, an act of generosity, or simply giving someone your full attention.
Prayer
Father, thank You for loving me long before I ever deserved it. Help me move beyond simply knowing about Your love to fully believing it with my whole heart. Teach me to abide in You every day so that Your love is seen in my words, my attitudes, and my actions. Let the people around me experience Your love because they have encountered me today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Jeff
#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign
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2026
January
Embracing God’s New BeginningsRenewed, Not Worn DownThe Gift of Rest, Not a BurdenOne Thing I AskTransformed, Not ConformedArise and ShineFor His Glory in the OrdinaryChoosing Generosity Over ConvenienceAbide and Bear FruitDon’t Forget the BenefitsSetting an Example in Every SeasonLosing to LiveReady When He ComesThe Low Road That Leads to LifeWhere Your Heart Truly LivesThe God Who Sings Over YouRest That Goes Deeper Than SleepUnited in ChristHow Good and PleasantOvercome Evil with Active GoodThe Strong TowerActivated FaithNo Condemnation—Only FreedomThe Goodness Found in WaitingConfessing and RemainingUnder the Same SkyTeach Me to Walk in Your WillAnxious for NothingThere Is No Rock Like Our GodLiving the Word, Not Just Hearing ItStirred to Love
February
A Soul That Magnifies the LordStrong Where It Matters MostWalking Through the Darkest ValleyThe Golden WayA Word That Lifts the WeightRun With PurposeTraining for What LastsJoy That Grows Under PressureWhen Anxiety Multiplies, God SustainsRefined by the FireGrace That OverflowsStrength for Every SeasonUnashamed to Bear His NameDevoted to One AnotherThe Joy of a Righteous ChildWalking in LoveThe Glory That Fills the EarthFinish WellThe Pain That Produces PeaceOur Only AimThe Way, The Truth, The LifeStrength to Seek HimThe Whole Duty of ManTreasure Hidden in the FieldO Lord, You Are My GodDelight Yourself in the LordWalk in His StepsFriend Who Sticks Closer
March
The Long-Suffering Love of GodOvercome Evil with GoodBe Strong and CourageousMorning GuidanceThe Quiet Power of GenerosityWhat We See Is Not All There IsThe Faithful ProtectorStrength and DignityCasting What We CarryCharm Fades, But Reverence RemainsThe Voice of the Good ShepherdPeace That Changes EverythingBefore Everything ElseFor Such a Time as ThisWhen Life Turns, Turn to GodMake His Name KnownTrusting the God Who Sees the Whole RoadGreater Is He Within YouSurely Goodness and Love Will FollowThere Is Still a Rest for YouWhen Fear KnocksA Sorrow That Leads to LifeWhen Your Soul Thirsts for MoreOpen Hands, Open HeavenUnstoppable PeaceWhen Seeking Becomes SurrenderUnited in Spirit, Rooted in ChristThe Lifter of My HeadBlessed Is the KingBehold the Lamb Who Takes Away SinThe King Who Came to Serve
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