7.10.2026 - Jody Duncan

Friday, July 10

1 Thessalonians 4:9

God’s love serves as our model.

We read today from 1 Thessalonians 4:9. Read the verse now or at the end of this devotion. How does God teach us to love?

Paul has nothing to say about how the Thessalonians should love one another, for God himself has shown the way.

In considering how God shows his love for us, I thought about how my husband shows his love for me. The acts of love I treasure have nothing to do with Valentine’s Day or anniversary gifts or mushy cards or bouquets of flowers. Instead, I think of the many small and simple expressions of his love.

For example, a few years ago, we went to Costco. I had very bad knees at the time and could barely walk. So rather than go in with him, I was going to stay in the truck while he did our shopping inside. He parked the truck, turned off the ignition, and started to get out. But then he stopped, restarted the truck and began backing out of our parking space. “What are you doing?” I asked.

He answered, “I just noticed that the sun was going to be in your eyes. I’m going to turn the truck around and park in the opposite direction, so the sun won’t bother you.”

He will often open bottles of tea and then replace the caps loosely because he knows I struggle to open them. When he grills steaks, he will cut them into slices that are easy for me to manage.

These are the kinds of things he does every day, and each time, I am reminded of his love and concern for me.

Likewise, I am reminded of my daughter’s love with each small act of kindness she extends to me. She never lets more than a couple of days go by without checking in to ask how I’m doing. She carves out precious time in her very busy working mom schedule to spend time with me. She regularly sends me photos of my grandchildren doing wonderfully grandchildren-y things.

I, of course, appreciate the Mother’s Day gifts and get togethers, the big expressions of her love. But these small acts are more meaningful to me, just as my husband’s small daily acts mean more to me than the grand gestures on our anniversary.

God, of course, is the GOAT when it comes to grand gestures! (For those of you not as young and hip as I, ‘GOAT’ means ‘Greatest of All Time.’) He created us. He created our beautiful planet, our solar system, our galaxy and vast universe. He stepped down from his mighty throne to walk among us as a man, to teach us and love us in the flesh. He forgave us and redeemed us through that man, his Son.

Grand gestures, all. But I like to think of God as loving us in smaller ways, as well. A human being’s sense of humor and the ability to laugh – these are not the loving gifts that will be memorialized on a Sistine Chapel ceiling, but aren’t our lives made immeasurably better through them?

There are other smallish gifts that never seem to make it to God’s Greatest Hits, as well. Our ability to look into the eyes of another and connect with that person’s soul is one. The joy we take in delicious food is another. I think of what Intelligent Design advocates call the ‘gratuitous beauty’ of our world. God made the world with creatures and plant life and landscapes that are breathtakingly beautiful – but wouldn’t have had to be if function and utility were their only purpose. God made them beautiful so that we might take joy in them, because he loves us

God’s love is sacrificial, yes, but it is also creative. Our love for one another should be creative, as well. We love when we create a beautiful home for our spouse and children. We love when we create a space for our loved ones in which they can enjoy peace and quiet. We love when we create an atmosphere of forgiveness in which we envelope friends, family and even foes. We love when we create a piece of art, be it fiction or poetry or a song or a painting. We love when we create a sermon or a prayer and then share them with others.

My husband loved me when he created a space in which the sun would not be in my eyes. My daughter showed me love when she created photographs of her children and shared them with me.

Let us be creative in our loving today and every day, just as God has shown us.