The apostle John writes these simple, weighty words in 1 John 4:11: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Notice how it starts — Beloved.

Before John tells us what to do, he reminds us who we are. Loved. Fully. Completely. Without reservation.

God didn’t wait for us to get it all together. He didn’t love us halfway or conditionally. He loved us first, loved us fully, and loved us sacrificially. The cross settled that forever.

And here’s the front-porch truth:

The love God pours into us is never meant to stop with us.

It’s meant to spill over into our marriages, our friendships, our churches, and even into the difficult relationships we’d rather avoid. Loving others isn’t about personality or preference — it’s about reflection. We love because we’ve been loved.

Some days loving others feels hard. But on those days, we don’t dig deeper into our strength — we lean deeper into His love. When we remember how much grace we’ve received, love becomes less of a burden and more of a blessing.

So today, love someone on purpose.

Not because they earned it — but because God already loved you first.