“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
The bible summed up the law in one word
The bible makes it clear that there is just one word that rises above all in Christianity, it is the word “love”. Love is the defining trademark of a true believer in Christ. The bible says without love you are nothing.
How do we measure the love we have for others? What if there was a device that could measure the amount of love you have, and it could measure how well you love, and how deeply you love, and who you love? And what if this love meter gave you a rating on how well you loved others overall, what would your rating be? That is the one thing God cares most about in our lives, it is how we love. What if you are a follower of Jesus and your love meter results are very low, what do we do? My love meter rating is very low, so i decided to think about what love is and how to create a mind frame for loving more and better.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love".
1 Corinthians 13:13
God breaks the entire bible, the entire law down to one simple word, one simple task, one simple action, it is love others and love God. He sums up all the law into one word for us, love. If we could only do one thing right in our lives, it would be to love others and God well. There are so many topics of discussion and debates in among believers, I believe that we should all ask this one question, “Does this discussion help me love more?” If the answer is no then it’s not something that is important.
In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12
Practice Loving Others
Is love a gift that only some have? What if it does not come naturally to us to show love to others? Can we love others more and better? If God tells us to love others and Himself, then we can know that we all have the ability to love and to improve how we love. As I pondered how I can love more, I began thinking about what people need, and how people really want to be loved. I think in its essence, people want someone to care about what they love, what they like, and what they are concerned about.
I started thinking, “what if you were to love other people for 30 minutes a day, for one year?” You didn’t do anything for that 30 minutes but something that demonstrated love for others. You concentrate and think about only them. How would that effect others, and how would it effect you?
Focusing on others loves, likes and concerns
I decided to make a list of people i know and their loves, likes and concerns. Then I thought about putting down what I could do to show love and care.
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
John 1:22
Taking action
Try with just one person and a piece of paper, write down their name. Don’t get too caught up in who the person is at first, just practice putting down what they love, like and are concerned about. Pray that God gives you ideas and helps keep you from being interrupted while you write. Ask the Holy Spirit to warm your heart as you think and write. If you are struggling to think of things the love or like, you can call that person and ask them. I believe every person wants to talk about what the love, like and are concerned with.
Try this for just 15 minutes and see what you feel.
