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 (NKJV)
In the small time I’ve lived in life, I’ve learned that if you’re going to address anything successfully, you have to go to the root. When you fall sick, you don’t just treat the symptoms. You don’t just take paracetamol for the headache, something for the fever, and stop there. If you truly want to get well, you have to go to the source, to the root of why those symptoms are showing up in the first place. Because when you get to the source, you begin to understand why the symptoms even exist.
The same thing applies to love.
If we’re going to talk about love, then we have to go back to the source. And the source of love is God. You cannot have the expressions of love, the outward manifestations and conduct of love, if you do not have the source ingredient, which is God.
The Spirit of God is often addressed as the Spirit of love (2 Timothy 1:7). If you do not have that Spirit in you, it is not possible to walk in love. It’s not possible. So if you don’t know Jesus and you found this devotional today click here and let’s get that sorted first.
Yes, you might be able to walk in what the world calls love. The world might categorize you as a lovely person. But the very nature, the qualities, and the principles that make love what it truly is will be lacking. And when love does not take its source from God, what you have is lust. What you have is the flesh. What you have is personal agenda.
Look at what we saw yesterday in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 (1 Corinthians 13:4–7). Love is patient. Love is kind. Love believes all things. Love endures all things. Love does not seek its own way. Love is not boastful. You cannot get that from the world. You cannot get that from human nature.
And since God is the source only those walk with Him can truly walk in love. And I’ve learnt I can love people as my love for him grows.
So what are we really saying?
If you know you want to walk in love, then you must build your relationship with God. The deeper you go in Him, the easier it becomes to express love to people. If your relationship with God is shallow or neglected, a lot will be missing in your love expression. The Bible instructs us clearly to walk in love (Ephesians 5:2).
As simple as it sounds, God is love, but it doesn’t always play out that way in practice. So you have to pray. If you’re going to walk in love, you’re going to need God’s help. I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again.
Prayer
God, help me to love You and to love people.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
