Of all the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, love feels like the most universal and, somehow, the most elusive. If you’ve ever tried to explain what it’s like, you know what I mean. Love can feel like analyzing every word of every conversation between meeting someone and confessing your feelings. It can feel like the comfortable silence of deep friendship. It can feel like filling your Instagram feed with pictures of a new baby, or late-night scrolling through photographic memories of a faraway friend. We write songs about it, cry while watching movies that try to portray it, maybe even try to deny it, declaring it a lie when our hearts are broken.
But Scripture tells us that the true definition of love is found in who God is. In fact, it’s one of the surest things we can know about God, a virtue greater than even faith and hope (1Corinthians 13:13). Scripture tells us “God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him” (1John 4:16).
The famous “love chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13 outlines many attributes of this love: patience, kindness, not insisting on its own way, rejoicing in truth, hoping and enduring everything. Enduring wars and disease and hatred. Outlasting empires and buildings and movements. In this litany of love’s attributes, I see the face of God. I hear God’s invitation to make ourselves at home in this love and let it transform us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
This sort of love is nonsensical, if you think about it. It isn’t a vague, obligatory love for people who are like you, and it goes beyond the bonds of family, friends, or spouse. This love extends the circle wider and wider, transcending rational thought about who is worthy of love; it persists no matter what and in any circumstance, without condition.
The apostle Paul said, “The whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). What could that look like today, as we imitate Christ to seek the welfare of our neighbors? When we make ourselves at home in God’s transformative love, we are changed. We are empowered to join God in repairing the world, to press on and show our neighbors what we value and to whom we belong.
“You were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love” (Galatians 5:13). May it be so in us, the Holy Spirit growing love in our hearts for the flourishing of our families, our neighbors, and all of creation.
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122 thoughts on "Love"
I am praying that God will show me how to show love in a very hard relationship with my mother-in-law. She is treating me in the most unloving way. I do not know how to move forward in a healthy way for her, myself, my husband, and my kids.
This snatch my edges !! I can’t believe how much I haven’t been operating in love. I thought I was but today I realize with the word I haven’t. I pray tonight that I can walk in God’s love not my version of it !!
Rather than asking for more love for me to show my family, I need to keep myself in the Lord who is love.
We love because he FIRST loved us ❤️
I’ve been really convicted about grumbling and complaining and just being annoyed with people- I pray that God would replace that with gratitude and love
His word says, we can have faith, we can speak in tongues and prophesy, if we offer sacrifice and still have lack love in our hearts, we are nothing. We can have all the qualities God desires in us, but if we lack the one most important commandment, love; we are nothing. Learning to exercise this in my everyday life.
I love that last sentence, knowing someone felt God through you loving them, so powerful.
Love demonstrates! The greatest life giving demonstration was and is the death burial and resurrection of our King! But we have to demonstrate love to daily and it takes a death of flesh to do such a thing but it brings great satisfaction knowing someone felt and saw God through you loving them
Thank you, Lord, for demonstrating to us how much you love us and leaving us with instructions on how we out to follow I pray that our fruits are nourished on a daily
I know exactly what you mean.
Lord, I pray you give me someone today that I can show love to. ❤️❤️
Praying that the Holy Spirit guide me to love without condition and in any circumstances!❤️
Praying to learn to love others the way God loves me❤️
Helping each other out without expecting anything back. Just the expectations of a returning favor is non existent because you don’t want anything back
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Good read.
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I cannot profess to love God if I do not love my brother. Practicing love to those around me is a path to God.
I appreciated reading this in the context of God’s love and not a marriage. We’re meant to emulate but never duplicate God’s love for us. It’s where we are made whole ❤️
Much needed reminder
Let love be your highest goal!
Like this. Good perspective
Loved this
Replacing the Word love with God is so powerful in seeing the fullness of who He is.
We don’t have to know someone to love them. Last spring God put in my heart a young person, who I knew by appearance, but with whom I had never had a conversation. Between covid and their leaving home unexpectedly, it seemed I would never have an opportunity to share the message and love God put in my heart, but I could still pray. As I prayed for this person’s heart, spirit, and situation, I also realized I couldn’t pray for them and not their family. I couldn’t love them and not the family. Even though this person came back after only a couple of months and God established what has become one of the most significant friendships of my life during the last year, only in the last few weeks did I meet the family for the first time. When one person or situation is important enough for you to love or pray over, everything else tied to them has to become important also. This is how the circle of love widens.
I pray that my love is true and genuine. Sometimes parts of my life become exaggerated for show (not intentionally, but I know it happens) and I want to be authentic in every way, without self-seeking.
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It’s been difficult to show unconditional love to those beyond family during the COVID isolation. But, now as we begin to allow ourselves to go back into the public and interact again, we have to opportunity to put our love from God into practice. So, now, today I begin making a conscious effort to love my neighbor.
Hope all is well with all of you! This was a powerful message for me this morning! ❤️
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Loving like the lord is living in his peaceful boundaries
I just read Philippians 1:9, 10, which says, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,” It made me think of all the comments about boundaries. God tells us to love with knowledge and discernment ant to approve what is excellent. Yes, love all those around you, but do it wisely. I think this allows for some boundaries.
God is in us ❤️❤️
It’s all love❤️
Oh hey there – love ya!!!!!
Yes ❤️
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7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I like your perspective of “there is no but that follows” – – so true!! ❤️
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” John 4:8-9❤️
What a solid reminder of how important we are to God, that He would give us the gift of love. He didn’t have to share that with us – and can you imagine what kind of world we would live in if He didn’t share that?!
I love that Paul reminded us that EVERYTHING good flows out of love. The whole of the law is satisfied with that one word. If you act in love, what will follow will be Godly, because God is love. We don’t have to complicate that. There is no ‘but’ that follows. I wish we would apply this to everything-our families, our child-rearing, our communities, our policies. “Justice is what love looks like in public.” C. West.
When in doubt? Choose love.
Yes, may it be so!! “May the Holy Spirit grow love in our hearts for the flourishing of our families, our neighbours, and all of creation.” This is my prayer for all of us in 2021.
This has been my focus over the last 6 months: showing love to others. It goes beyond what I’ve even imagined.
This year has challenged love. When a major event like this pandemic occurs our true colors emerge. We start defining what right and wrong is. We give our own definitions to love. The physical ramifications of this are tragic, but what is more painful is the spiritual battles that have emerged. Even after our bodies are healed we will have scars of broken relationships, thoughtless comments, and wounded pride. Love is the only cure. As I look at how others aren’t showing it in their actions I’m forced to do the same with myself. Do I love without fear, do I set my freedom aside for love? God, reveal your glory through this time. Show us how to serve you in such a time as this and show me how to love as You love.
I think it’s so important to remember that we can love others because god has loved us. 2020 is coming to an end and while I myself wish everything that occurred this year will also end, it likely will continue into 2021. The law wants one thing; for us to love our neighbors as ourselves. The world continues to change and evolve around us but that is one thing that should go unchanged. Love your neighbor, always, and through god. I love the Corinthians chapter about love because it really brings me back to the real meaning of what love is.
So important to remember how endless his love is and how far it can reach
What a deep conviction the Holy Spirit brought on today. Am I loving my children with patience and kindness… does resent meant and irritability to a spouse reflects Gods love in me. Does setting boundaries and giving up to “love” in laws from afar demonstrate the unrelenting love that God has demonstrated towards us that wills we were yet sinners, enemies of God- He gave us all that He had. He gave us his son. Father thank you for shaking my life in this transforming way with this bible plan. Oh God my desire is to experience TRUE change!!
My faith and hope are guided by Love. For love is an action that guides my steps in the name of the Lord
Boundaries have little to do with love. Sometimes we need people not to be in our lives, but we can love them and pray for them from afar.
I struggle with this too. Where and when do we incorporate boundaries!?!?
I once heard it taught that love is a verb, an act of doing, not a noun. The feeling we get of acting in love is a byproduct. This has helped me better understand how to love those I don’t always agree with.
Let yourself be loved.
Loving others is not something I can do on my own.. especially with those who are hard to love. But God. If I sit in His love & let it truly transform me, He will enable me to love others. If I truly seek Him & Abide in His love, He will enable me to love others. I can love because He first loved me. What a sweet reminder. I am so thankful that He set the true example for love & that He is the true example of love.
16And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
Help me to love others. I become too judgmental as the world is. Help me to see the real person and not the outward
100% agree. My most (self-declared) Christian family members are the least in terms of following Jesus’ lead.
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This. I can say the word a thousand times a day, but do I really show it in my words and my actions and my attitude. Rarely. The Holy Spirit is constantly reminding me to have these fruits and telling me when I haven’t shown them.
Love does not insist on its own way! I truly desire to live this truth
We are called to be free!
Everytime I come across something talking about love I’m reminded of the Greeks and all their definitions. Love encompassed all aspects of their relationships but when they said “I love you” it in lied something different
I am soooo not perfect when it comes to showing love but it blows my mind how many Christians today don’t even recognize this as how we should aspire to be. I feel like this is why so many people have a bad perception of Christianity l, because we do not practice this enough as a whole. Jesus surrounded himself with prostitutes, tax collectors and other sinners but that doesn’t mean he approved of their sin. We are so quick to shut out the LGBTQ community or drug addicts or anyone different but wouldn’t it be so much more effective to show them our God through loving them.
I hope I can catch myself before being short with someone I dislike or saying something unkind about them and say to myself “they are worthy of love” before I act.
I totally resonate with this. I think the way I have looked at love for those who have hurt me in the past, has been almost “weakness” in a sense… like if I love someone who has hurt me, does that give them the ability to continue to hurt me or take advantage of me? I think that comes from a worldly view of what love is, but to read what God says love is is so helpful! I’ve had to learn to set really good boundaries with the people who have hurt me in the past and I think that’s a great way of loving them but not allowing them to continue. But I agree it can be so hard still for me to know how to fully love someone that continues to deeply hurt me.
My struggle with love comes with those who have hurt me deeply. I know I’m supposed to forgive and love them in spite of the circumstances. But love and forgiveness does not mean being unguarded or forgetful. I need balance in this area, the ability to love deeply without allowing myself to be harmed.
But God….Amen!
The apostle Paul said, “The whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal 5:14)
Lord let me remember to love first.
When we make ourselves at home in Gods transforming love, we are empowered to join God in repairing the world! Yes, Lord— let your transforming love pour out of me into the world around me!!!!!
Lord- help me to show your love to others. Am I being patient and kind? Such a good reminder in the midst of raising toddlers.
Love: a virtue greater than even faith and hope (1 Corin 13:13) Love is nonsensical. Love persists no what matter. Love persists in any circumstance. Love persists without condition.
I love the way love was explained. It’s a reminder that I don’t ever have a reason not to love.
Loved today’s reading! I pray that the Lord helps me to see and love myself, the way that He does, so that I can go out into the world and love my brothers and sisters well. I think this message of love is so relevant, especially for 2020. With all the racial injustice and division that’s occurred, this message of love reminds us that though it’s evident love isn’t present in those moments, 1 Corinthians 13 shows us how we can return to love…and the one who enables us to do so is God, because He first loved us. ♥️
These Bible verses were so cleansing to read… to void out the noise, and hear truth. My favourite bit was 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Thank you God for your mercy, that we are made whole in your love.
During these hard times, this lesson has caused me to really stop and think hard!!! Am I truly showing Gods love? I pray I am but there is so much involved to and in His love!!!
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Oh, Tina, so good to “see” you. When you are absent for long stretches I grow concerned. Sounds silly I know but you and Churchmouse and I have been here so long!
I too find myself loving well, as long as its within my comfort zone. I have been praying for boldness in my faith and boldness in my expression of love to others. Use me Lord!
Beautiful –
Tina, it is so good to hear from you again.
And you showed up in such Tina fashion – inspiring us with your ‘But God…’ comments and interceding for someone you don’t even know.
May God be a mighty force in the events you witnessed and may something positive come out of what sounds like a very bad situation.
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You are not alone at all. the leading when I should have been left.the love when I could not see be..
This scripture really spoke to me about how partial the world is, even the “good” (knowledge, prophecies, service, etc.) Without love it is NOTHING and none of it is perfect. Only Christ is. And when he returns it will all end. The pandemic, social injustices, political upset- we must be christ to the world through love and compassion ❤
I keep hearing “love is love” from the world. And I think, what the heck does that mean??? I like how I can go to the Bible and get the truth about love. I will keep my eyes on the truth rather than the world’s definitions. They are flimsy and not the truth.
Nhu I loved that suggestion as well….while inserting it revealed to me that despite what happens in my life or what I do Jesus loves me even when I feel like he doesn’t.
Agape love. ❤️
This reminds me of a few songs that have really helped me lately as I have been dealing with fear and anxiety. They have been a great reminder of God’s love casting our fear.
– Antoine Bradford “Trust in You”
– Ross King “Things I am Afraid Of”
This is a fully packed lesson. Love is ACTION, love is full of good deeds out of the attribute of Love. Thank you Churchmouse and Erin for the suggestions to insert our name, Jesus name into the word “Love” in the love chapter. When I do this, lots of things shockingly jump out and it reveals the areas I need to work on. I am so thankful of the insights everyone shares. Thank you Jesus that you first loved me, and find me worthy to pursue me all this time from the darkness, that now I can be transformed by Your Great Love. I was lost until Love came down from Heavens and Love died for me. Love has called me to be His, and Love has dwelled within me. Love has called me His Own. And Love lives through me.
Kristy B praying for your family and that doors will be opened.
Love is perfect! Love does not offend others. Love is kind. As in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Love is powerful and goes deep, for someone to offer their only son it means so, so much, words cannot express how passionate that love is. It’s truly a great appreciation to God for his wonderful love.
There is no fear in love.
My husband had job interviews today and tomorrow after being laid off due to Covid in April. Please pray for us? This has been a hard season.
…and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Whoa! Now there is something that I need to spend some time on. ❤️
I heard a little girl sing the song “Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so” last night. That is the simplest purest truth there is and it is often so easily forgotten. We love because he first loved us 1 John 4:19. We are not able to love without him and when we don’t understand who he is fully and that he loves us then we cannot love fully. Love is definitely everything 1 Corinthians points it out to be.
I believe that our understanding of what love is needs to be expanded and perhaps even redefined. We hear messages from the pulpits, from Christian culture and the rest of the world too that dilute and distort the truth of God’s unconditional love for us and that affects how we then love one another. It seems that the default often is a version of obligatory niceness that doesn’t cultivate the relational way we were intended to live. I thank God for His mercies new every morning and pray for His guidance and wisdom – and our openness – to teach us what love truly is and looks like.
I read today’s study shortly after hearing a friends mother passed away on Sunday. I read this thinking of the love my own mother has shown towards me, even when I’ve been a huuuge pain! Most of my friends are now mothers as well, and I see that love through them. The love that loves even when you’ve been wronged. I pray my friend still feels this love even though her mother is not on this earth, and I pray she will continue to be comforted and loved as she continues on through life.
I find myself loving within my comfort zone. Being comfortable is not what God calls us to be, it’s actually the complete opposite. I pray that the Holy Spirit can take my heart and let it love in “the uncomfortable” so others will see God’s love through me and seek his love, mercy, and salvation. It’s all for his glory, not mine.
Such a beautiful reminder of what love truly is… the working of love in our lives should be so radiant that when stranger pass by us they can’t help but notice something is different about us. We all know 1 Corinthians 13 I feel like it’s a staple of Christianity we can say from memory and when brought up it easy to say oh yeah I know that which is were I find myself. But today it feels so different! I look at the attributes of Love itself and see so clearly where Im personally lacking… where I can do better and that is something to be grateful for! I know this year looks differently for a lot of people and to be honest as hard as this year has been I feel like the Lord is using it to show us these things. One point in my life my when I only had 2 kids people would make comments about how patient I was. Never recognizing it myself. But fast forward to today now with 5 kids, life as we know it, the feeling of living the same day over and over again I see ever so clearly where I need to improve. I’m not going to say I have failed because when you say you failed at something it almost feels like that’s the end why try! When really we can just say definitely need to work on that and ask for the Lords help in perfecting His attributes in my life! So many great scriptures on love and it’s attributes but one stands out to me today and that is
I Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
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Is staying away from our family, our church family, our friends, etc. true love during this season of our lives?
There are so many facets to love, but the one that strikes me the most is highlighted in John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” In this season of life, love is presenting itself as a sacrifice on my part for the benefit of my “friends” — doing my best to protect my family and neighbors from COVID-19, working long hours at my hospital, standing up for what’s right and doing my part to better my corner of the world. We’re also called to love those who disagree with us, which I am also trying to adapt into my worldview. What a poignant time in the world to study the fruits of the spirit and be reminded of what really matters to the soul!
Because of Jesus I am called to be free, free to love, without fear. God loved me first and there is no favoritism in love. I was created in Christ Jesus to do good works (to love) Praying today to be sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting to do the work that God prepared for me to do
I’m grateful for this study and Holy Spirit pointing out how I can be a “noisy gong” and neglect really loving those around me. Taking this time to ground myself in scripture and reflection will most definitely help my relationships and most importantly my relationship with Jesus. I love how today ties in with yesterday. John 15 always speaks to me, but I’m hearing the words differently today.
Hello my friends, my sisters…!
It’s been a while, (I took a sabbatical)though I’ve read from afar..
I sit in church as I write because.. love brought me here in this moment..
Love for someone I do not know, but I feel compelled to come sit in the Lord’s house and lift up in prayer..
My heart hurts, as I have not long driven by a situation that didn’t look good, someone had jumped or fell off a building.. a father.. a brother.. a son.. a dad..I dont know, but I needed to prayer..for all concerned.. family, the emergency services, the people that were present and saw..
Lifting each and everyone to the God who cares, the God who see, the God who knows, that His peace that surpasses all understanding will fill their hearts and that He will be with all as they deal with today’s events…in Jesus’s name..
But God…
He reigns.
He lives.
He knows.
He cares.
He is Lord..
Amen..
Love wrapped hugs and love to you all from across the pond..❤
“We are empowered to join God in repairing the world, to press on and show our neighbors what we value and to who we belong.” Thank you Jen Yokel
Someone once pointed out to me while we were reading 1 Corinthians 13 that Greek word for patience or long suffering meant that love has the ability to be wronged and not retaliate. Which changed my view on love in this chapter completely. It’s such an unnatural and vulnerable type of love that only can come from God. His love is long suffering and He is wronged time and time again but instead of retaliation He sends His Son to take our place in the judgment seat for sin. He is wronged and yet continues give and pour out salvation. What perfect love!
Looking at these verses differently today.
13For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
How can I embrace the freedom to know and be known by God and love and serve others?
Churchmouse & Erin-I like both of your suggestions! We know that Jesus exemplifies all these characteristics, but do I? Only through abiding in the vine (Jesus), can I begin to grow & reflect His true & perfect love to others.
God has really put it in my heart to find the balance between pointing out what is Ungodly and loving people or just tolerating people. I do not want to just be a noisy gong .
Love in the Bible and the love demonstrated by Jesus makes no sense – it cannot be rationalized. It is extravagant and completely other focused. It is the opposite of what we think of as being “in love” in the quintessential Hallmark movie. It takes the arrogance, rudeness and disdain and responds with humble love time after time after time. It doesn’t get fed up. It presses on with over the top, grace giving love. ❤️❤️❤️
“ ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Galatians 5:14). What could that look like today, as we imitate Christ to seek the welfare of our neighbors?”
So many different answers to this question, but personally to me and MY day, it means continued (joyful) sacrificial love to support my family, exemplify Christ’s heart to my children, and allow God to interrupt my day with His plans (instead of grumble that MY plans have been altered/invaded upon..). In other words, doing all things without complaining (ie: bringing glory to my Enemy) and instead manifesting a grateful heart for what skills/jobs/investments I have the opportunity to be a part of today (ie: glorifying my Creator).
The idea of remaining in Him stood out to me again today. Remain in Him. Love. The Word. If we are in Him, and He in us, these attributes will begin to extend from our lives as we walk in obedience and in step with the Spirit. I think the Lord is trying to remind me to remain in Him, and stop trying to produce fruit myself! God is love…work in step with Him!
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Thing that stood out to me today in a verse I’ve read a billion times: love your neighbor as yourself. Which for the first time I’m hearing as: girl if your relationship w you is broken, you’re gonna struggle with others too.
I love that Churchmouse!
I once had a pastor say, insert your name for “love”. Upon reading and reflecting, God will reveal the areas you need to work on to become more like Christ. It can be a bit painful when you do it, but it is revealing.
#truthbomb … Thanks for that great reminder!!!
I love the reminder of 1 John 4:10 that God loved me first, that He laid His life down for me that I could experience life with Him and experience His love for all of eternity. Feeling extra thankful today that the gospel IS love. I pray I can love my patients, my supervisor, my roommate, and all those I come in contact with well today. Amen!
Am I the only one who felt a little (more than that, really) scolded when reading the Deuteronomy excerpt today? In the chaos of today’s world, in the process of making decisions and choices, will I choose to follow God’s example, path, Word? Will I look back at how He has led me, rescued me, taught me when I didn’t know which way to turn or what to do, and see how much He loves me?
Often when I read 1 Corinthians 13, I substitute “Jesus” for the word “love.” Jesus is love. Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy. Jesus is not boastful etc. Because I am to be like Jesus, these qualities are ones I hope others see through my words and actions. In my loving, Jesus is revealed. And isn’t that the point of loving?
God is a loving God. We should lo e our neighbors as we love ourselves. I do not see this happening in the world today. What do you do? Do you condone the bad ? Do you like it? Feel that it is right? I know that God has this and I guess this is where my human flesh way of thinking is coming in..I know God has this! God is Love! Therefore have faith that he is the keeper of all things..The God of Love!