We’ve been spending some time thinking about love. Makes sense. After all, it comes up in the Bible—a lot.

Truth is critical. So is doctrine. Related to these is love. It is an outward expression of the faith that God has given to us.

Today I want to share a word of encouragement to those who don’t always feel loving. They think that there is something wrong with them because they don’t “feel” very loving when they think about some of the people around them. Fair enough. Relationships are complicated.

That’s why we need to remember that love is not a feeling. It’s more than that. Love means acknowledging that someone is made in God’s image and pursuing God’s best for them often in a way that is self-sacrificial.

As you think about the people around you…

-You can listen to their story, regardless of how you feel.
-You can be charitable, regardless of how you feel.
-You can lend a helping hand, regardless of how you feel.
-You can offer godly advice, regardless of how you feel.

Feelings are very important. They can be powerful indicators of what his happening inside of us. But they don’t tell us what love is. Only the Word of God can do that.

There are times when we don’t “feel” very loving. That doesn’t mean you’re not loving. It’s means you’re human. Love is action-oriented toward people in need (which, by the way, means all of us).

As the apostle John reminds us in 1 John 3:18: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Notes:

-Bible quotes are from the ESV.