Love and Redemption

“Love and Redemption”

1 John 4:11 NLT"Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other."

Good morning my Ekklesia Family

An investor once found a broken, discarded statue buried in the rubble of a fallen building. While others saw trash, he saw treasure. With care and vision, he restored it into something more beautiful than before. Likewise, God saw our brokenness, and through His love, redeemed us—not to discard us, but to restore and display us as testimonies of His grace.

In 1 John 4:11, the Apostle John uses the Greek word agapētos (beloved)—not casually, but covenantally. He reminds the church that God's love (agapē) is not merely a feeling, but sacrificial action. Because God loved (ēgapēsen) us “that much”—as in, sending His only Son to redeem us (v.10)—we now have a divine obligation to respond in kind: love one another. This is not optional for the believer; it is the evidence of redemption at work in us.

Redemption is not only about being saved from something—it’s being restored for something. God’s love did not merely rescue us from sin; it placed us in a family where love becomes our lifestyle.

• Love is our identity.

• Redemption is our reality.

• Relationship is our responsibility.

Today, let the cross remind you: you are deeply loved and divinely redeemed. Now go and be that love to someone else—especially to those who are hard to love. Why? Because He loved you first (1 John 4:19).

Father God,Thank You for loving me when I was unlovable, and for redeeming me when I was beyond repair. I surrender every broken part of me to You. Teach me to love as You love, to forgive as You forgive, and to live redeemed every day. Holy Spirit, empower me to extend grace and mercy to others as You have extended it to me. I trust that in loving others, I am showing the world Your light in me. Amen.

If today you’ve felt the tug of God's love, don’t ignore it. Redemption is calling you—not to religion, but to relationship. Jesus gave everything to love you and bring you home. Will you respond?

Join us at Ekklesia Christian Life Ministries—where love meets you, grace transforms you, and purpose sends you forth.Visit: ekklesiachristianlife.org

LoveUmorethanUknow,

Pastor Stephan Kirby