Bad Religion · Week 2 · Day 5: Put Love Into Practice

Bad Religion · Week 2 · Good Works Without Love
October 18, 2026 · Jonah Tolpezninkas

Read: 1 John 4:19

“We love because he first loved us.”

Reflection

The order of this verse matters. God loves first. Our love grows in response. Before we make another promise about how much harder we will try, we are invited to remember what we have received through Jesus.

That order changes how we approach good works. Prayer can become a place to receive God’s care and speak honestly with him. Scripture can help us know the One who loves us and hear how he calls us to live. Giving and serving can become practical expressions of the love that is already reaching us.

Jesus did not tell the Pharisees to stop doing good. In Luke 11, he called them to practice justice and the love of God while continuing their giving. The invitation holds together love for God and love for our neighbors. Religious practices and outward care can nourish a whole life of faith when they grow from his grace.

As this week ends, begin with a real person and a real need. Consider someone you might otherwise overlook because you doubt they will appreciate or return your kindness. Perhaps someone needs your patient attention. Perhaps an apology has been waiting. Perhaps there is a practical burden you can help carry or a neighbor whose situation you have overlooked.

You may still feel awkward, tired, or unsure of your motives. Bring those things into prayer. You do not have to wait until you feel perfectly loving to take a faithful step. God can keep forming your heart as you practice the good he has put before you.

Return often to the beginning: he first loved us. Remember his love before you serve, when you encounter resistance, and after the task is done. Let it free you to pay attention, tell the truth, and care for someone without keeping score. Over time, ordinary acts can become places where the love you have received is shared with others.

Personal question

What is one concrete way I can respond to God’s love this week?

Practical response

Choose one manageable act of care for a specific person, without making their gratitude or reciprocation a condition. Put it on your calendar, pray for them, and follow through. Afterward, thank God for the opportunity and entrust the outcome to him.

Prayer

Father, you loved me first. Help that truth become more than something I know. Let it shape my attention, my choices, and my care for others. Keep drawing me close to you as I put your love into practice. Amen.

This week’s sermon

Good Works Without Love · Bad Religion, Week 2
Watch the October 18 service https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uS_IWUtxM4