Devotions from James Smith’s book, Embracing the Love of God

God has made us interdependent, and from the moment of our creation He felt it was important for us to live in community. At the core of our being is the need to love and be loved by others.  By living in community we can find the fulfillment for which we hunger. God could have made us so we didn’t need one another but instead he gives us all of the resources we need to care for one another.  We all have gifts He has given us and we are to pass on these gifts to those that need them. Our lives have an impact on those around us far greater than we can see.  Each moment, each decision, each act of kindness, will have a ripple effect.  What we do today-or don’t do today-will have an impact on someone.  We may never know what even one word of encouragement can mean to another. 
God’s love for us becomes the source of our desire to love on another. ( I John 4:19) If we fail to care for others, we have most likely failed to know that God cares for us.  When we grasp how much God loves us, we will feel His love flowing out of us into the lives of others.