Love is about actively pursuing what is in another person’s best interests. This is the very essence of God’s character: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son”
Love, a word we use so often, yet one that carries such diverse meanings. We love our families differently than we love chocolate or a sport. We speak of falling in love and falling out of love. It’s a word brimming with emotion, passion, and desire. C.S. Lewis explored this complexity in “The Four Loves,” highlighting how one English word encompasses four distinct Greek concepts of love.
The ancient scriptures lay a powerful foundation for understanding divine love. In Deuteronomy 6:5, we find the core command: “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” This forms part of the Shema, a prayer recited by Jews twice daily. The Hebrew word for love, AHAVAH (אַהֲבָה), reveals a profound truth: at its root, love is about giving. This echoes throughout the Old Testament, from loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18) to treating foreigners as native-born (Leviticus 19:33-34).
Jesus, when asked about the most important commandment, affirmed this dual love: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Dallas Willard defines love not as desire, but as “to will the good of others.” It’s about actively pursuing what is in another person’s best interests. This is the very essence of God’s character: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” (John 3:16).
The biblical portrait of love is rich and multifaceted: “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” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). This is the love revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai—a compassionate, gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. This is the God who loves us and calls us to love our neighbor.
This dynamic of love creates a powerful ripple effect. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Loving our neighbor is the visible expression of our love for God. Imagine the impact when we, as God’s people, live out this love in our daily interactions.
Who is our neighbor? Everyone we encounter—at home, at work, in our communities. The apostles’ letters are filled with practical exhortations on how to live out this love with one another: “Be devoted to one another,” “Live in harmony,” “Show hospitality,” “Encourage one another,” “Bear one another’s burdens,” “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” Each of these is an act of giving, pouring out something for the benefit of another.
To love well, we must be aware. We see this in Jesus’ interactions: His understanding of the Centurion’s faith, His tender response to Jairus’ desperate plea, and His persistent connection with the woman who touched His garment. In each instance, Jesus “read the situation” and responded with matter-of-factness, reassurance, or tenderness, as the moment required. This means looking beyond ourselves, being less self-absorbed, and truly seeing the joys, sorrows, hopes, and aspirations of those around us.
Our culture often promotes self-absorption, but to love is to risk—to risk rejection, misunderstanding, and even being pushed away. Yet, when we give, we also receive. We also need to learn to receive love, breaking down the insecurities and hard shells that prevent us from allowing others in.
This journey of love is messy. It’s where we encounter people who annoy, trigger, and unsettle us, just as we no doubt do to others. But it is precisely in this space that we learn to love freely, without agenda, acting in the best interests of another, regardless of their background or status. In Christ, our new identity transcends all earthly distinctions. We are called to live under a new dispensation, experiencing God’s transforming love and reflecting it to a broken world. We are His church, a light to the world, known by our love for one another.
Dallas Willard encourages us to “pursue love,” and he also says we should not try to love that person but try to become the kind of person who would love them.” And, “I do not come to my enemy and then try to love them, I come to them as a loving person.”
What is your next step in this journey of love? Perhaps, as David Whyte’s poem suggests, you need to “start close in, don’t take the second step or the third, start with the first thing close in, the step you don’t want to take.”
Reflective Questions:
- Considering the definition of love as “willing the good of others,” how has your understanding of love shifted? What might it look like to practically “will the good” of someone in your life this week?
- Jesus’ was aware of the situations and people around Him. In what ways can you cultivate a greater awareness of others’ needs, joys, and struggles in your daily interactions?
- The Hebrew word for love, ahavah, means “to give.” What is one tangible act of giving—whether time, attention, resources, or forgiveness—that you can offer someone this week as an expression of love?
- The devotion mentions that to love is to risk. What fears or insecurities might be preventing you from extending love freely to others, and how can you invite God into those areas?
- Dallas Willard suggests becoming “the kind of person who would love.” What character qualities do you need to cultivate in yourself to become more inherently loving, and how can you intentionally pursue those qualities?
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your immeasurable love—a love that is patient, kind, and always perseveres. Forgive us for the times we have drifted from these basic truths, for allowing distractions to dim the light of Your love within us. We pray for a renewed heart, a deeper understanding of what it means to love You with all our being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Open our eyes, Lord, to the needs of those around us. Help us to be less self-absorbed and more attuned to the joys and sorrows of others. Give us the courage to take that “first step,” even the one we don’t want to take, in extending grace, kindness, and compassion. Transform us, by Your Holy Spirit, into people who inherently love, reflecting Your light in a broken world. May our lives be a testament to Your redeeming love, so that all may know we are Your disciples. Amen.
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