Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:8 ESV
There are days when loving others feels effortless… and there are days when it feels nearly impossible.
People can wound us, misunderstand us, or push us beyond what we feel capable of bearing. Sometimes the hardest person to love is the one right in front of us. And if we’re honest, there are moments when our hearts grow cold or guarded — even toward God.
But in these moments, God doesn’t shame us. He invites us closer. He reminds us: Love isn’t something you manufacture on your own — it’s something you receive from Me.
This is deeply comforting, yet it’s also deeply convicting.
John’s words aren’t meant to condemn us; they’re meant to awaken us. They remind us that love is not optional for a believer — it is the evidence that we truly know God.
Why?
Because God is love. Not merely “loving,” not simply “full of love”… He is love itself. And when we truly know Him, His nature begins to shape ours.
This means:
- Love isn’t something we perform.
- Love isn’t a personality trait.
- Love isn’t a spiritual gift some have and others don’t.
Love is the overflow of knowing God and abiding in the Spirit.
Let this question sit gently but honestly on your heart: Where is love missing in your life right now?
Is it:
- Someone you’ve grown hardened toward?
- A relationship where you’ve stopped trying?
- A group of people you’ve closed your heart to?
- A wound that has made you withdraw instead of love?
The Spirit doesn’t reveal these places to shame us, but to free us.
He wants to soften what has grown rigid. He wants to heal what has been hurt. He wants to restore what has been lost. Because true love grows in hearts God Himself is tending.
Here’s a gentle truth: If we’re not loving well, it’s not because we’re failing — it’s because we’re starving.
Starving for His presence. Starving for His voice. Starving for the touch of His love.
When we come back to Him, love returns. When we allow Him to heal us, love flows again. When we receive His love, giving love becomes natural.
The conviction is not “Try harder.”
The invitation is “Come closer.”
God is not disappointed in you. He’s not frustrated with your weaknesses. He’s not surprised by your struggle to love.
He knows every scar on your heart. He knows every place you’ve grown weary. He knows every moment you’ve wanted to give up.
And still — He calls you “Mine.” Still — He pours His love into you. Still — He stands ready to fill the places you cannot fill yourself.
Let His love melt what has frozen. Let His presence rekindle compassion. Let His voice remind you who you belong to.
Prayer
Father in Heaven, I confess that there are places in my heart where love has grown weak. I bring You my wounds, my frustrations, my weariness, and my fear. Heal what is broken in me. Soften what has been hardened. Fill the empty places with Your love until it overflows into every part of my life. Teach me to know You more deeply so that I may love more freely. Amen.
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:12 ESV
Igniter Ministries 