In review of 1 John 4:7 it says, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God” (NLT).
Everyone believes that love is important, but love is usually thought of as a feeling. In reality love is a choice and an action. God is the source of love. He loved me enough to sacrifice his Son for me. Jesus is my example of what it means to love; everything he did in life and death was supremely loving. The Holy Spirit gives me the power to love; he lives in my heart and makes me more and more like Christ. God's love always involves a choice and an action, and our love should be like his. How am I displaying my love for God in the choices I make and the actions I take?
Love is a skill. If I struggle to love well, here’s some good news: Love is learned! That means the more I practice, the better I will become at it. No matter how I’ve loved or been loved in the past, I can become amazing at loving others.
In fact, God wants me to become a master at this skill. He wouldn’t tell me to love others if he wasn’t going to help me to do just that.
Yet many people never learn how to love.
When people speak of how I love others, do you want them to say, “He loves you regardless of where you’ve been” or “no matter what you’ve done”? Do I want to be remembered for how much I owned or accomplished, or do I want to be remembered for how well I loved?
God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will teach and enable me to love others. But to become extraordinary at it, I need to practice it over and over again. It may feel awkward at first as I learn to love with a greater capacity than is humanly possible, relying on the powerful and supernatural love of God to work through me. But the more I love like this, the better I will become at loving unconditionally.
The Bible says in 1 John 4:7 that love comes from God. When I practice and commit to loving others like Jesus loves me, they will take notice and will be drawn to God.
In summary, I need to love others, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows him. Love is typically thought of as a feeling. In reality it's a choice and an action. Jesus is my example of what it means to love. The Holy Spirit gives me the power to love; he lives in my heart and makes me more like Christ. And he wouldn't tell me to love others if he wasn't going to help me do just that. God's Word and the Holy Spirit will team and enable me to love others. I need to practice it over and over again.
Father I do want to be remembered for not how much I owned or accomplished, but rather be remembered for how well I loved. I pray this morning that your Word and your Spirit help remind me of this perspective and allow me to make it part of how I conduct myself and the choices I make. I also pray today for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, Amen.
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