Led by His SpiritSample

The world around us is filled with talk of love, but often the way that word is used is different from the way God uses it. God’s love for us is completely sacrificial, even to the point of Jesus coming into the world to die for our sins. While the Bible speaks of God loving us, it is in the context of that being a part of His nature and character. God does not love us for who we are but for who He is. Love is an integral part of who and what He is. He cannot be anything less than loving.

This is the pattern of love that is set before us, not just for us to appreciate, but to follow. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11). Unlike God, our hearts are not naturally filled with love. As a result of the Fall, our hearts were corrupted, and they cannot love as God does. But He has not left us alone and responsible for something we cannot do. He has given us His Holy Spirit, and the Spirit can produce genuine love in our lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” (Galatians 5:22).

We cannot love other people as we should unless we first love God as we should—with all our hearts. And then we must walk in the Spirit if we are to love others as God commands.