A young child once asked her father, “Daddy, who do you love the most, me or my brother?” The father wisely explained to his child that he loved each one of his children the same, but he sometimes expressed his love in different ways.

Later, the child asked her father a different question, “Daddy, who do you love the most, Jesus or me?” The father told his daughter that he loved Jesus the most, because without Jesus’ love for him, he wouldn’t be able to love his children as much as he did.

What a great way to express it! This father’s answer parallels the words of another father figure who once wrote to a group of Christians he considered to be his “dear children” (1 John 2:1). The apostle John reminded his readers: “We love each other because [God] loved us first” (1 John 4:19).

John, who saw himself as one of God’s own, emphasized God’s parental love when he wrote, “See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). In one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, He again pointed out: “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). Notice that he didn’t merely write that God loved us, he wrote that God loved us “so much”—perhaps again stressing the love of a parent.

Parents love their children so much that they would do anything for them. That’s how much our heavenly Father loves us. And His love for us can move us to do great things for Him and for others. According to John, His compassion becomes our compassion that we in turn give to others.

So, who do you love the most?

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 2:21-39