You are loved before you perform, before you obey, and before you understand. This Crosswalk Devotional centers on 1 John 4:19, unpacking the freeing truth that God’s love is not earned—it is initiated by Him. In a world shaped by rejection, comparison, and performance-based approval, Scripture reminds us that God’s love picks first, not last, and it becomes the foundation for genuine transformation.

Rather than striving to earn affection through obedience or spiritual productivity, this devotional invites listeners to rest in the reality that God loved us while we were still sinners. His love is not the reward at the end of the Christian life—it is the starting point. From that secure place, growth, repentance, and obedience naturally flow.

Highlights


God’s love is the source of our love, not the result of it


We are loved before belief, obedience, or understanding


The gospel reverses performance-based love


Growth flows from being loved, not striving for love


Nothing can separate believers from God’s love in Christ


God’s love moves first—even at our worst


Obedience becomes a response, not a requirement for acceptance

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This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today.  Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org

TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. https://trinitycredit.org

Full Transcript Below:

Loved First, Not Last 
By: Sarah Frazer 

Bible Reading:
“We love because he first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19 (ESV)

When you were younger, did you ever get picked last for a game? Or did you have your friends leave you out of a fun activity? A sleepover? A party? Even as adults, we get left out, too.

Rejection feels horrible. It really does. Even people who might have stepped out of your life can hurt you, and that sometimes feels like a rejection. Over the years, if we let rejection be the narrative by which we formulate our lives, we might not believe the truth we read in 1 John 4:19. 

“We love because he first loved us.”

This kind of love picks first, not last. This love isn’t something we earn.  There isn’t something inside our hearts that canearn it either. We are so used to being loved because of what we do. Even in our faith circles, we see language such as “grow, repentance, and sanctification.” All of these are good things, necessary things. But those things have nothing to do with us being loved. 

What is this kind of love? It is not like a love we have ever experienced before; it is much deeper.  In this verse, chapter, and book of the Bible, we get a glimpse of this amazing love. God’s love is not the result of our love for Him; it is the source of it.

Notice that the Apostle John uses the word “first.” This means a couple of things. It means we are loved before we believe, before we obey, before we understand, before we cry out to God. God loves first. Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (ESV) There was no fixing ourselves or proving ourselves before God would love us. God loved us first, while we were still sinners.

It also means God moved first. He did not wait for you and me to be spiritually or morally ready for his love. It existed before we had a chance to even change. God’s love came towards us when we were at our worst, not our best. 

Performance-based love focuses on doing better, and then you will be loved. A gospel-centered love says you are loved; therefore, you can change. Growth, repentance, and sanctification come after we experience God’s love! 

As a perfectionist, people-pleaser, I still find this amazing truth a source of great freedom. Although I had heard it all growing up at church, it never really sank in until later in my life. In my mid-thirties, I came to realize that my productivity, my goodness, and faithfulness never earned me one ounce of God’s love. In addition to that, my failings, faults, and sins could never lose me an ounce of His love either. 

While I grew up trying to earn the love of those around me, God loved me first. This means I’ll never have to earn more love, nor do I need to fear losing God’s love. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 8 about Christ’s love for us: 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:35-38 (ESV)

You might feel crushed, persecuted, unloved, unwanted, and distressed, but none of these things will ever keep you from God’s love. In fact, knowing God’s love comes first means God’s love is not at the end of our spiritual journey, but the beginning. It has always been with us, as soon as we became Christians. It will carry us through until the end. 

You are not loved because you responded to God; you respond because He loved you first. So if you think back to a time when you were picked last, remember that today, you have been picked first. You have been chosen by God to be loved. Rest in this truth and believe you can walk in obedience because of this love!

Intersecting Faith & Life:

In what areas of your faith are you still trying to earn God’s affection rather than rest in the love He has already given?

How might your daily walk with God change if you believed obedience flows from being loved, rather than working for love?

Further Reading:
Psalm 103:8-14
Ephesians 1:4-5
Isaiah 43:1-4
John 6:37
2 Thessalonians 2:16

You are loved before you perform, before you obey, and before you understand. This Crosswalk Devotional centers on 1 John 4:19, unpacking the freeing truth that God&rsquo;s love is not earned&mdash;it is initiated by Him. In a world shaped by rejection, comparison, and performance-based approval, Scripture reminds us that God&rsquo;s love picks first, not last, and it becomes the foundation for genuine transformation.
Rather than striving to earn affection through obedience or spiritual productivity, this devotional invites listeners to rest in the reality that God loved us while we were still sinners. His love is not the reward at the end of the Christian life&mdash;it is the starting point. From that secure place, growth, repentance, and obedience naturally flow.
Highlights
<ul data-start="784" data-end="1183">
<li data-start="784" data-end="846">
God&rsquo;s love is the source of our love, not the result of it
</li>
<li data-start="847" data-end="906">
We are loved before belief, obedience, or understanding
</li>
<li data-start="907" data-end="953">
The gospel reverses performance-based love
</li>
<li data-start="954" data-end="1010">
Growth flows from being loved, not striving for love
</li>
<li data-start="1011" data-end="1071">
Nothing can separate believers from God&rsquo;s love in Christ
</li>
<li data-start="1072" data-end="1116">
God&rsquo;s love moves first&mdash;even at our worst
</li>
<li data-start="1117" data-end="1183">
Obedience becomes a response, not a requirement for acceptance
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join&nbsp;Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors&mdash;resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/subscribe/?utm_source=subscribe_page&amp;utm_medium=YDBV&amp;utm_campaign=YDBV_PLUS">Sign Up Today!</a>
<hr>
This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today. &nbsp;Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | <a href="https://trinitycredit.org/">https://trinitycredit.org</a>
TrinityCredit &ndash; Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. <a href="https://trinitycredit.org/">https://trinitycredit.org</a>
<hr>
Full Transcript Below:
Loved First, Not Last By: Sarah Frazer&nbsp;
Bible Reading: &ldquo;We love because he first loved us.&rdquo; - 1 John 4:19 (ESV)
When you were younger, did you ever get picked last for a game? Or did you have your friends leave you out of a fun activity? A sleepover? A party? Even as adults, we get left out, too.
Rejection feels horrible. It really does. Even people who might have stepped out of your life can hurt you, and that sometimes feels like a rejection. Over the years, if we let rejection be the narrative by which we formulate our lives, we might not believe the truth we read in 1 John 4:19.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We love because he first loved us.&rdquo;
This kind of love picks first, not last. This love isn&rsquo;t something we earn.&nbsp; There isn&rsquo;t something inside our hearts that can earn it either. We are so used to being loved because of what we do. Even in our faith circles, we see language such as &ldquo;grow, repentance, and sanctification.&rdquo; All of these are good things, necessary things. But those things have nothing to do with us being loved.&nbsp;
What is this kind of love? It is not like a love we have ever experienced before; it is much deeper.&nbsp; In this verse, chapter, and book of the Bible, we get a glimpse of this amazing love. God&rsquo;s love is not the result of our love for Him; it is the source of it.
Notice that the Apostle John uses the word &ldquo;first.&rdquo; This means a couple of things. It means we are loved before we believe, before we obey, before we understand, before we cry out to God. God loves first. Romans 5:8 says, &ldquo;While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.&rdquo; (ESV) There was no fixing ourselves or proving ourselves before God would love us. God loved us first, while we were still sinners.
It also means God moved first. He did not wait for you and me to be spiritually or morally ready for his love. It existed before we had a chance to even change. God&rsquo;s love came towards us when we were at our worst, not our best.&nbsp;
Performance-based love focuses on doing better, and then you will be loved. A gospel-centered love says you are loved; therefore, you can change. Growth, repentance, and sanctification come after we experience God&rsquo;s love!&nbsp;
As a perfectionist, people-pleaser, I still find this amazing truth a source of great freedom. Although I had heard it all growing up at church, it never really sank in until later in my life. In my mid-thirties, I came to realize that my productivity, my goodness, and faithfulness never earned me one ounce of God&rsquo;s love. In addition to that, my failings, faults, and sins could never lose me an ounce of His love either.&nbsp;
While I grew up trying to earn the love of those around me, God loved me first. This means I&rsquo;ll never have to earn more love, nor do I need to fear losing God&rsquo;s love. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 8 about Christ&rsquo;s love for us:&nbsp;
&ldquo;Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, &ldquo;For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.&rdquo; No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.&rdquo; - Romans 8:35-38 (ESV)
You might feel crushed, persecuted, unloved, unwanted, and distressed, but none of these things will ever keep you from God&rsquo;s love. In fact, knowing God&rsquo;s love comes first means God&rsquo;s love is not at the end of our spiritual journey, but the beginning. It has always been with us, as soon as we became Christians. It will carry us through until the end.&nbsp;
You are not loved because you responded to God; you respond because He loved you first. So if you think back to a time when you were picked last, remember that today, you have been picked first. You have been chosen by God to be loved. Rest in this truth and believe you can walk in obedience because of this love!
Intersecting Faith &amp; Life:
In what areas of your faith are you still trying to earn God&rsquo;s affection rather than rest in the love He has already given?
How might your daily walk with God change if you believed obedience flows from being loved, rather than working for love?
Further Reading: Psalm 103:8-14 Ephesians 1:4-5 Isaiah 43:1-4 John 6:37 2 Thessalonians 2:16

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.

The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

The Crosswalk Devotional

Loved First, Not Last

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/d6acecea-daed-4359-8d06-b3e2012a3ab7/transcript