What Love Truly Is

The Bible tells us to do everything in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13) But what does that even mean? Our culture has so many connotations and feelings attached around those words.

We see love demonstrated in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know what love truly is because Jesus showed it to us by humbling himself, and dying to save us. (1 John 3:16)

The reality is, love is hard. It is hard to humble ourselves in a way that allows us to selflessly love others. It is hard to throw aside our selfish ambition and pride, because everything in our sinful nature tells us to do otherwise.

We will never be God, we will never be able to show perfect love, we are sinners, and it should be no surprise to us when we fail at it. We are broken.

Lucky for us, Jesus is not.  He is perfect, and that includes being perfect at doing everything in love. His entire life exists as one big act of love to the world.

Showing love in everything you do is about loving Jesus with your whole heart first. Obeying His teachings, submitting to His word, and letting Him transform our will into His will through the Holy Spirit in our heart. It is literally only by the Spirit that we are able to do this, hence why love is one of the fruits of the Spirit! When we live out of the overflow and abundance of Jesus’ perfect love, submitting to His word and looking to His example in every situation, He will transform us and propel us into being more like Him.

It is by literally asking ourselves what Jesus would do in every situation, and looking to His word and praying for His guidance for those answers. When we do this, we begin to do everything in love, since Jesus is love.

Celina Vazquez is a Virginia native, now a third year student at Western University in London, Ontario studying English.  She loves serving in campus ministry, teaching the Bible to other people, and spending summers working with kids at Forest Cliff Camp.