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

As we approach the weekend, consider this quote:

What does it mean to abide in love? The theme of “love God, love others” is found throughout all of Scripture and in his first letter John makes a practical application in the verses that follow:

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4: 19-21).

Notice that we’re not grounded in a set of rules, but in the love of Christ. As Augustine said, it is our love of God that directs our actions toward others.