TODAY’S VERSE:

1 Corinthians 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love”

The dictionary defines love as strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion; unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good off another.

The Bible says that “…God is love” (1 John 4:8) and that “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Today’s verse tells us that everything we do should be done in love. Wait…everything?! Yup! You may be wondering what that means for you, exactly, and how it is even possible. Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief because God’s Word tells us exactly how we are to love and how He makes it all possible.

Most importantly, we love God and we express our love for Him by obeying His commands.

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Our obedient love for God will then result in us loving others. We express this love by praying for them and loving them as we love ourselves!
Mark 12:30-31 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Ok, so we now know how we are to show love, but how is it even possible? Guess what? Love is a fruit of the Spirit!

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

When we read our Bibles, pray, and obey God’s commands, He makes us more and more like Jesus Christ. Nobody will ever love more than He does, as He left Heaven, became a human being, and then gave up His very own life to save us. So, the more like Jesus we become, the more we too will want to lay down our own lives, showing His love and sharing it with others, all by His power.

1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”

Thank you, God, for loving us and making a way for us to live with you, in love, forever!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”