Loved First, So You Can Love

Hey, Carpool Crew! Happy Sunday. I'm Pastor Justin, and before we jump in, let me give a big shout-out to Hudson and Mary Caroline from Booneville, Mississippi. So glad you are wrapping up your weekend with us. And this episode answers a question you might not even know you have been asking: where does kindness come from on the days you feel completely empty? You know those days when you are grumpy or tired or nobody has been nice to you, and being kind back feels impossible? Yeah. Let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: you do not have to earn love before you give it, because Jesus already gave you His. Listen to this from 1 John 4:19. It is short and huge: "We love because he first loved us." First. Before you did one single thing right, God already loved you. His love is not a prize you win. It is a gift you already have. The person who wrote this had spent years close to Jesus and figured out the secret. You cannot pour love out of an empty cup. But God filled yours first, all the way up. On the days you feel like you have got nothing kind left to give, you are not actually running on your own tank. You are pouring from a cup God keeps filling back up. If Jesus were sitting next to you right now, He would lean over and say, "You do not have to squeeze love out of yourself. Come get filled up by Me first, and then you will have plenty to hand out." Think about your water bottle. You cannot give somebody a drink from an empty one. So you fill it up first, and then you can share all day. God's love works the same way. In the morning, before you try to be kind to anybody, you let Him fill you up, and suddenly there is more than enough to pour out. Hey, this week, try this one thing. Every morning, before you even get out of bed, say four words: God, fill me up. Let His love fill your cup first, and then watch how much easier it is to hand kindness to everybody else. Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. You do not have to earn love before you give it, because Jesus already gave you His. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if this weekend's episodes have meant something to your family, would you take thirty seconds to leave a rating or a review so more families can find them? Before you go, let's answer this question together. What is one way you could let God fill your cup first thing in the morning this week? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.