This Is Love

Have you ever wondered what true love looks like beyond the TV screens and romance novels?

In today's episode, host Lauren Alessi welcomes us into a heartfelt discussion on the essence of true love as described in the Bible. Reflecting on 1 John 4:10-12, she challenges the common perceptions of love often depicted on reality TV and in movies, urging us to pursue a love that mirrors the divine. Lauren shares her own journey of discovering that true love means forgiving others and loving them unconditionally, just as God loves us. You'll discover the importance of genuine love that extends grace and forgiveness without expecting anything in return.

Join Lauren for this week's devotional as we offer a fresh perspective on love, rooted in faith and understanding, aiming to inspire each of us to embody the love that God has shown.

Tap HERE to send us a text!

BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBER

If you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community!

We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes!

To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join!

Support the show

NEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL?

We're so glad you're here!

We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota.

Here’s how to join our community!

Subscribe to the show on this app
Share this with a friend
Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠
⁠Leave a review
KEEP UP WITH ALISON: https://alisondelamota.com⁠⁠⁠⁠
IG: https://instagram.com/alisondelamota
https://instagram.com/delamarried

NEW WORSHIP MUSIC
Hear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary Alessi
Listen on Spotify
Watch on YouTube

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:21.687
You're listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1207. Today's Devo is called this is Love. Hey there. We're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time.

00:00:21.824 --> 00:00:50.973
That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Happy Tuesday, everybody. My name is Lauren Alessi. I will be your host for this week. And if you caught yesterday's episode, you are. Well, you know that we are talking about love this week because it is February. But I also want to clarify something. I am not some sort of scrooge when it comes to the topic of love.

00:00:51.142 --> 00:00:58.590
I love love. I love love the feeling of love. I love romantic comedies. But I'm also a very literal person.

00:00:58.890 --> 00:01:24.091
So sometimes when it's an overabundance of love and not substance that follows it, I'm like, I need answers. And a lot of times I feel like, to clarify what I was saying yesterday, there's so much representation of false love in the world when true love is found in the word of God. And that's the love we should be trying to replicate, not what's found on Love island, where love is blind.

00:01:24.156 --> 00:01:38.396
Even though I love those shows, those shows are so entertaining. I just see that being chased a lot in the world, that sort of reality TV show. Love is blind love. And true love is found in the word of God. So let's continue on with the word. We're

00:01:38.427 --> 00:02:25.957
10 through 12 today, and it says this. This is love. Perfect, perfect intro. This is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. I can also say that this is challenging to me because, like, you hear this all the time in Sunday school. Oh, if God loves you, you need to love one another. And as you get older, sometimes you can sort of get numb to that thought of, yeah, God loves us, so we need to love one another. But it's absolutely true.

00:02:26.133 --> 00:02:37.259
If God sent his one and only son to forgive us of our sins, we need to forgive others of their sins around us, even if they're not forgiving us, we still need to forgive.

00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:40.975
Even if they're not showing that same love, we still need to love. Why?

00:02:41.127 --> 00:02:44.379
Because God is love. Because God loves us.

00:02:44.759 --> 00:02:52.271
And you. This is what I'm talking about by that true love that's not found on Netflix or in Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movies.

00:02:52.415 --> 00:02:56.144
Again, massive fan. Massive fan of.

00:02:56.312 --> 00:03:22.021
You've not. You've got me. What's the other one? When Harry Met Sally. I'm a massive fan of When Harry Met Sally. But even that's not the true love that God is talking about. God is talking about the true love that says, even if you don't reciprocate the love, I still show you love. And that's the love I hope we can all strive for today. That's the love God shows us and that's the love God wants us to show others around us.

00:03:22.205 --> 00:03:39.943
So I hope this week is a little bit challenging. I hope it's a different perspective than what you've heard and I hope you don't think I'm some sort of Scrooge to love because yeah, I love it. I think it's great. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you so much for your word and how it truly is a blade that sharpens us every day and every week.

00:03:40.111 --> 00:04:09.689
Lord, I thank you or God. I just pray for people right now who are listening to this. Maybe they haven't been shown proper love in their life. God, I pray that your word shows them proper love. I pray that your word shows them God's love, Lord. And I pray that you surround them with people who can be and and just a perfect example of God's love. And for people who have been shown correct love, God's love, Lord, I pray that you help them show others that same love. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

00:04:10.189 --> 00:04:30.980
So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend. Leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.