Love is not just a theory. It’s not just something we feel, or something we say to other people. Love is action. 1 John 3:18 says, “let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
1 Corinthians 13 shows us the importance of love in our lives.
- “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (vs. 1). Your words may be full of wisdom, spoken righteously, and meant to bless others, but if you don’t speak with love they are nothing but noise.
- “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (vs. 2). Prophecy is a powerful gift from God. Faith, likewise, is one of the most powerful forces discussed in God’s Word. But even with both of those, without love “I am nothing.”
- “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (vs 3). God calls us to give freely, but He also specifies that we are to give from the heart. If we do not give with love, then we close ourselves off from the blessings God has for us.
Instead, we are to incorporate love into every area of our lives. Verses 4-7 show us exactly what love should look like in our lives. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Love is the most powerful force in all of God’s creation, and He gives it to us freely! I want to encourage you to make love an action in your life today. If you do, it will come back to you ten times over. I’m positive!