“Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:14
I could argue that 1 Corinthians 16:14 is one of my favorite Bible verses. Why? Let me explain to you why I love it and how it helps me live a loving life.
- God calls us to love the Lord with all our heart.
- God calls us to love our neighbors.
These two reasons go hand-in-hand. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus speaks this: “‘Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments.” We should be striving everyday to be more like Christ. If He commands us to do this to be more like Him, why would we not?
In reality, this world is selfish. As humans, we are born into a sinful nature. We want everything we can have and don’t want to see others succeed. We’re selfish human beings. But that’s not who God called us to be. That’s not living a loving life. Living a loving life is doing all things for Christ and dedicating your time to helping bring others to the Word of Christ. It is about loving the Lord with all your heart. It is about loving your neighbor as yourself. We are taught at a young age to treat others the way we want to be treated. That’s what God does for us. He loves us, His children, with all His heart; we should have that same love in our hearts for Him and our neighbors.
How do you go about living a more loving life?
- Pray about it. Jesus is the answer to everything. God hears our prayers, all of them. He hears us even when we don’t speak them. Pray for a more loving heart and to open up your heart to that love for both God and your neighbors.
- Put yourself in a Godly community. It’s hard for us to grow spiritually when we are continuously getting knocked down. We need Godly community to grow our hearts and our souls to become more like Jesus, to be come more loving.
- Get out in the world and serve others. Learning to serve others can create a longing for a loving life. You will want to care for others and bring them the good news of Christ.
Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, make our hearts more open to love. Guide us to become more like you in the way we love others and the way we love you. We thank You for loving us the way you do and for loving us so much that you sent your one and only Son to die for our sins. We pray that we would live a more loving life not only for our neighbors’ sake, but for the own renewal of our hearts and minds to be set on you always. Amen.