What is love?

The Bible has a lot to say about love. 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.” This is how you can know if you really, genuinely love God: you know God, you experience God, and because of that love flows out of you. Jesus summarizes two big purposes in life Mark 12—love God and love others as yourself. Ephesians 5 shows us how to imitate God by living a life of love. Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus’ death on the cross for us was an act of pure love. Lastly, Romans 8:38 let’s us know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. What good news this is!

Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s an action.

John 13:34 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” We are to imitate God’s love for us. 1 Corinthians tells us that love never fails. You can do all kinds of good things, but if the motivation isn’t love, the actions ultimately don’t matter. In Galatians 5, true love comes out of God’s spirit; it’s a fruit of His spirit. In 1 John 4:10, we see how God has loved us with a true love. So if you want to learn how to love, look at Jesus! His love will overflow your heart in a new way that brings love in action to others.

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