Read:1 Peter 1:22-2:3

In church there are many people around you. How do you feel about them? Do you love them? God tells us, through the apostle Peter, that we must love them fervently. To love fervently means to really love them, to love them with your whole heart. It means a lot more than just being friendly to someone; it means to actually love that person.

How can you love others in this way? Through the Spirit sent by Jesus Christ. Christ himself showed perfect love. He always loved fervently. Even when he was dying on the cross, he prayed for forgiveness for his enemies. And Jesus loves us too. He loved us even while we still hated him. He died for us even though we didn’t love him. That’s perfect love! Now we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, need to show the same love to others.

This love for others can be strengthened by the Word of God. If you don’t read your Bible, then you can’t expect to grow in love for others. Nothing in life is as important as the Bible. That’s why Peter says that we must desire God’s Word just like a newborn baby desires pure milk. A baby will never rest, never relax, never have peace and never grow without milk. Milk is that important to a baby. Without it the baby will die. So God’s Word is that important for us. Without God’s Word we would never rest, never have peace and never grow.

And we must grow. As Christians we must also grow in love for others. So read the Bible to learn about Christ’s perfect love. When you see how much Christ has loved you, then you can also show this love to others. When someone makes you angry because of what they say to you, remember how much you have sinned against the Lord. Remember his forgiveness and love. If holy God has shown this much love to sinful you, how much more shouldn’t you show this love to others?

Reflection with your child:

How can you grow in your love for others?

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema