"Love You! Proud of You!"

Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-7; 1 JOHN 4:7-21

The simple note written on a card and given to me by a family member echoed in my mind. It read, “Love you! Proud of you!” I couldn’t stop thinking about those words. I felt a nudge, as if the Holy Spirit wanted me to pay attention. And then I remembered why—my question.

“How can I be a better sister?” The question had been on my mind and in my prayers. I have good intentions to love my siblings when I wake up each day. But somehow, from the moment my feet hit the carpeted floor of my room, my goal of being a better sister felt directionless and unattainable.

The note from my family member made me realize that the problem with focusing on how to be a better sister is that it places my thoughts on me. It becomes a selfish pursuit, and therefore sets me up for failure because love is not selfish (1 Corinthians 13:5). This note changed my perspective. Instead of asking the question, “How can I be a better sister?” I started to ask myself, and ask the Lord, “How can I love my siblings well? How can I show them that I love them, and I am proud of them today?” The point is not about whether I am a better sister, the point is for me to love my siblings because God first loved me (1 John 4:19). The beauty of this is that, when you and I love one another, God’s love “is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:12). • Daevis McMurphy

• God calls us to love each other out of the overflow of His love for us. As we spend time pondering how much God loves us—how Jesus died on the cross for us so we could be forgiven, and then rose from the grave so we could live with Him forever—we often find that loving others just comes naturally. How could you spend time pondering Jesus’s love today?

• How can you love the people God has placed in your life today, whether they be family, friends, other people you know, or strangers? Consider spending some time in prayer, asking God to bring people to mind and give you ideas of practical ways you can show these people that you love them. Maybe you could help with a task, write a note, or simply have a conversation.

We love each other because He loved us first. 1 John 4:19 (NLT)