Day 16: For anyone growing up in the Bible Belt or anyone just wanting to live a good, moral existence, it goes without saying that it’s good to love and serve other people. Of course it’s a good thing to buy gifts for a toy drive at Christmas, or to donate to a hurricane relief fund, or to volunteer in a soup kitchen.

But Christianity takes this to a whole new level. The awesome video linked below explains what agape love is, and this is the commentary that goes along with today's picture: "So Christian faith involves trusting that at the center of the universe is a being overflowing with love for His world, which means that the purpose of human existence is to receive this love that has come to us in Jesus, and then to give it back out to others— creating an ecosystem of others-focused, self-giving love.” 

As a Christian, I shouldn’t love/serve/give to feel better about myself, or to earn favor with God, or to assuage the guilt of having extra money in the bank. Love for others should literally be coming out of me because Jesus’s love has been poured into me. 1 John 4 says, “We love because He first loved us.”

Learning about this over the last year has made me want to love lavishly in a way I’ve never quite experienced before. I’ve always loved doing things for other people, but having a deeper understanding of how God’s love in me fuels that love for others is paradigm-shifting. It gives me a brighter vision for pouring love into people who are suffering and feel forgotten in Ethiopia. It should also give all of us a brighter vision for loving people today—in our neighborhoods, at our jobs, and within the walls of our houses. We love because He first loved us. ❤️ #31daysofcalling #lovesinethiopia

Agape Love video link: https://youtu.be/slyevQ1LW7A