Love Like You Mean It

I confess I don’t always love as Jesus loves. 

Can you relate?

Often, I open my eyes before my alarm sounds, wrapped in the warmth of my covers, and gently embrace the new day. Then I turn my thoughts to God, thank Him for the new day and His blessings, and ask how I can show love to others before focusing on the day’s activities, tasks, or responsibilities.

Do all my days begin this way? 

No, I’m afraid not, but I yearn for more days that begin by choosing to be with God, asking Him to remind me to speak kindly, shine as a light, extend friendship, and love well. 

However, I need help learning to love more consistently, as Jesus does, throughout my day.

You’ve likely experienced days when the busyness and stress overwhelm you, overshadowing your intention to love others and to remain thoughtful and kind amid your chaotic schedules. 

How, then, can we love others well? Let’s first look to God’s Word.

Scripture encourages us to leave a legacy of love by reflecting God’s love to others and modelling Jesus’s love. “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return” (Philippians 1:9-10, NLT).

Our morning prayers or devotions don’t require formality. We can commune with God by turning our minds to Him, saying “Good morning,” and asking Him to guide our steps throughout the day. We invite Our Heavenly Father to create divine appointments for us throughout the day, opportunities to share love and joy wherever we go.

We prepare our spirits to receive prompts about whom to pray for, whom to reach out to, and whom to encourage that day by focusing our minds on Jesus at the beginning of the day.

We must learn to love well, with bold, strong, and overflowing agape love: selfless, unconditional love. Growing in love increasingly defines what matters in life and what matters to us as believers. Love transcends feelings; smart love requires making the right choices to love well. We must go beyond our emotions.

The most important commandment calls us to love God and one another. We should be known for loving our Creator and those around us. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39, ESV). “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13, NIV). 

Our local communities offer many opportunities to show love to others. We can perform acts of service, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen, food bank, or hospital. Contributing to a charitable, non-profit organization by donating our time, money, talents, or practical skills is a great way to show love. Visits to the many neglected elderly residents of nursing homes could make a world of difference in their lives.

We can also show love to others through small acts of kindness, such as reaching out with a text, call, or visit to someone God places on our minds during the day. We can also pray for those people, asking God to stay with them, meet their needs, and give them peace.  

The possibilities for giving love are endless. How will you love others today and show compassion to those you encounter?