Beloved, let us love one another, for love is ( springs ) from God; and he who loves [ his fellowmen ] is begotten ( born ) of God and is coming [ progressively ] to know and understand God [ to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him ]. 1 John 4:7 (AMPC)
The more aware you become of God’s love for you, the more empowered you are to love others.
First, let’s talk about the word love. Ancient Greek divides the word “love” into at least four separate words. There’s romantic eros love. There’s platonic storge love that’s shared between friends and family. There’s give-and-take phileo love that relies on both parties giving and getting something back in return, and there’s unconditional agape love, which is the kind of love God has for us.
Becoming more aware of this unconditional love that God has for you is what makes you better able to love the people in your life.
How? Well, you might have great intentions to love others unconditionally, but it’s so easy to slip into the what’s in it for me love. Loving the agape way requires God’s help; we can’t do it without Him.
Here’s how it works. As we study God’s Word to become more aware of the fact that God loves us with no strings attached, we begin to feel so fulfilled that we become able to love others without always expecting something in return.
When you read your Bible, do it with the intention of discovering this agape love God has for you. As you continue to build that relationship, you will gain the awesome privilege of learning to love like He loves. It’s not a love that allows others to take advantage of you, but it is the strongest, most fulfilling love of all.