Because He First Loved Us

Too often, I let my to-do list rule the day. It gets the highest priority on what I want to accomplish in hopes that it provides me with satisfaction and joy. For most of my life, I have struggled with the continuous burden of tasks weighing me down; yielding to my vision of how things should be and letting it dictate how I respond to circumstances and people. When things don’t go my way, I feel my day crumbling.

Often, God convicts me of how unloving this is to those around me. And what a skewed view of Him I am presenting to others. This conviction hits hard, especially when I read passages like 1 John 4:11: “Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another” (CSB).

In this letter, John draws our attention to our loving God and instructs us to remember how God has shown us His love.

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (I Jn 4:9-10 CSB)

Set before us is an example of self-sacrificing love. God gave His most precious and beloved Son to die for those who rebel against Him all so that the rebels would be reconciled to God. When I look at God’s revealed sacrificial love, it puts my silly and ever-demanding to-do list in its rightful place. All the tasks now seem trivial and futile. Instead of insisting on my way, my focus now shifts to how to accomplish these mundane tasks to serve my family.

When I don’t feel like cooking yet another meal in the chaos of my 13-month-old’s temper tantrum, I can ask for the equipping power of the Lord to strengthen me to have a heart like Jesus. I can yield my heart to His teaching by following His example of self-sacrificing love toward my daughter and expressing gratitude for the resources He has provided to nourish our bodies.

When the weather makes running errands an extra hassle, or the adventure walk takes a bit longer, or the sudden trial of health, financial strain, or loss hits your family out of nowhere, how will you respond? In selfishness, or self-sacrificing love?

Meet the Author
JoAnna Baird

JoAnna, her husband of 3 years, Daniel, and their one year old daughter reside in Greenville, SC. Her days are filled with the joyful mundane tasks of being a homemaker and mother. She is passionate about pointing others to Jesus through the truths and promises found in His Word.

When time allows, JoAnna dabbles in her hobbies of sewing, baking, thrifting, and gardening. Her ideal day would begin with coffee followed by spending time with family building lifelong memories.