Commanded to love
Deut. 6:5: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (NIV).
We often think of love as being an unconscious act. We hear "I fell in love" or "I fell out of love" as if there was no other way we could have responded. I don't think God sees it that way because, in this verse, He commands us to love.
God sees love as an act of the will. He tells us we must love others, including our enemies, regardless of our feelings. How is that possible? By treating others the way God treats us—with kindness and forgiveness (see Eph 4:32). God's love is not just a feeling or emotion, it is active. God's love took action when He gave His Son for us (John 3:16). We need to imitate His love in our lives.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 instructs us how to do it, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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" (NIV).
Show God's love to the world by choosing to treat others like He treats you.
