How Do We Love?

Do you love them by buying things for them? Maybe paying for their dinner. Spending time with them. Always saying nice things. Calling them up and sending them text messages. Giving them a hug. All these things are valid points when we want to show our love for another person. However there is something much deeper that goes on before you can truly love a person.

The bible tells us what love is:
"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

But there is still the root of love, which comes from knowing someone. You cannot love a person without first knowing them. The more you know the person, the more you begin to see their character and their personality and the more you can love them for who they are. Likewise when loving God, it all comes down to how much do we know about Him? Are we taking the time to read His word to get to know Him better. Do we pray enough to communicate with God?

Lastly, we need to love for God is love. If we don't love then we don't have God.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8

Notice that love is choice and not a feeling, you choose to love someone, you choose to show love for someone. It is not whether you feel like you're in love. When God says we need to love, it means we need to be shining the love of God through our lives.

Thank you Jesus that you showed the ultimate act of love that You came to the earth as a human being and died just so we could be with You. Lord help me to love others and also help me to be wise with the time I have, by spending time with You and taking the time to pray. In Jesus name. Amen.