1 John 4:19

We love Him because He first loved us.

There is no light on the planet but the light that comes from the sun and there is no true love in the heart for Jesus but that which comes from the Lord Jesus himself. From this overflowing fountain of the infinite love of God, all of our love for God must spring. This must always be a great truth, that we love him for no other reason than he first loved us. Our love to him is the natural result of his love for us. Anyone can have cold admiration when studying the works of God, but the warmth of love can only be kindled in the heart by God's Holy Spirit. How great the wonder that such as we should ever be brought to love Jesus at all! How marvellous that even though we had rebelled against him, he displayed such an amazing love to seek to draw us back to him. We never would have had a grain of love towards God unless it had been sown in us by the sweet seed of his love to us. Our loves parent is the love of God placed in our hearts, but after it is thus divinely born, it must be divinely nourished. Love is an exotic flower, it is not a plant which will flourish naturally in human soil, it must be watered from above. Love for Jesus is a flower of a delicate nature and if it receives no nourishment but that which can be drawn from the rock of our hearts, it would soon wither. As love comes from heaven, so it must feed on heavenly bread. It cannot exist in the wilderness unless it is fed by manna from on high. Love must feed on love. The very soul and life of our love to God is his love to us.

• I love thee, Lord, but with no love of mine,
• For I have none to give;
• I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine,
• For by thy love I live.
• I am as nothing, and rejoice to be
• Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in thee.