Love is a Person

This is another devotional from The Heart of the Matter by Winston T. Smith. Read 1 Corinthians 13 first.

We know specific things about love. In 1 John 4:9-10, we learn that love became a human being named Jesus who lived among us. Ultimately, love is a person, not an experience. When you need help loving someone, you can look to Jesus and learn from him. Jesus, as love, took action. He spoke and acted in ways that made a difference, ways that made love visible among us. As we trust him and learn from him we can do love too.

There are two critical ingredients to loving in a Christlike way. The first ingredient is connecting with and depending on Christ, not as a religious man who lived two thousand years ago, but as God's own Son who is with you and able to help you. The second ingredient is knowing what love looks like in the details of the moment. Jesus does not just motivate us to love; he teaches how to love in the moment - what it looks like and how to do it. Remember that faith is only a prelude to action. You need faith that Jesus will help you every step of the way, but you also need to take concrete action.