Devotional

January 4, 2026

Everywhere we turn, the world feels loud with anger and divided by fear. News headlines thrive on outrage. Conversations feel brittle and laced with sentiments and selfishness. People speak quickly, listen poorly, and retreat into camps of “us” and “them.” It raises a painful question: How did love become so rare in a world created by a loving God?

Scripture reminds us that this was never how it was meant to be.

In Genesis 1:27, the bible tells us, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Every person we encounter carries God’s image. Not some people. Not people who agree with us, or “look” like us. All people. To forget this is to forget something essential about God Himself.

Genesis 1:31 continues, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Creation was formed out of goodness, intention, and love. Hate and division were never original, foundational or a part of God’s plans. These are symptoms of a world that has drifted from God’s heart.

We see that drift in everyday life.

Hate shows up when impatience replaces kindness, when sarcasm becomes our default tone, when we reduce people to opinions instead of seeing them as souls. It shows up when we gossip about others instead of to them, when we nurse old wounds, when we find comfort in being right rather than being loving. We see this even in ordinary moments: a disagreement turns into an attack on the person rather than focusing on the subject, a text message is left unanswered out of spite, a conversation about someone becomes gossip disguised as concern. Slowly, hearts harden and relationships fracture, not through one great act of evil, but through many small choices to withhold grace. Scripture warns us, “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

Love, on the other hand, is rarely dramatic. It is often quiet, inconvenient, and costly. However, it is so so powerful in shaping outcomes, more than any hate can achieve.

Love shows up when we pause before responding. When we listen without preparing our rebuttal. When we choose forgiveness even when an apology never comes. Paul describes love plainly: “Love is patient, love is kind… it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). These are not lofty ideals; they are daily practices shaped by surrender to God.

Jesus brings everything back to this simple, demanding truth.

When asked what matters most, He answers in Matthew 22:36–40: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… Love your neighbor as yourself.” He says that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands. Everything else flows from them. You cannot love people and treat them with disdain, contempt or malicious intent.

When love for God weakens, love for others soon follows. When God is pushed to the margins, fear and pride fill the center. Jesus warned that “the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12), not because people stop believing, but because they stop abiding.

Yet God never leaves us without hope.

Scripture calls us back again and again. “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Justice without love becomes harsh. Mercy without truth becomes shallow. Humility keeps us aware of our need for grace.

Jesus goes even further, calling us to love our enemies and pray for those who oppose us (Matthew 5:44). This kind of love cannot be sustained by willpower alone. It is born from encountering God’s love firsthand.

Returning to the foundation of love begins here. Remembering who God is. Remembering who we are. Remembering that every person we meet was created just like us and is someone God called “very good.” In a world shaped by division, choosing love becomes an act of faith and obedience.

Reflection

• Where has my love grown cold?
• Who do I struggle to see as made in God’s image?
• What would it look like to love God more fully today, and to let that love shape how I treat others?
• Share your thoughts on how best to heal the world

Prayer

Lord God,
You are love, and all true love begins with You.
Forgive me for the ways I have allowed fear, pride, or distraction
to shape my heart more than Your truth.

Teach me to love You with all that I am
and to love my neighbor as myself.
Soften what has hardened in me.
Slow me down where I am quick to judge.

In a divided world, make me a witness to Your love.
Let my words, actions, and attitudes reflect Your heart.
Renew in me the love that You first gave,
and help me walk in it today.

Amen.