The Hollywood Prayer Network On LoveSample

HOW TO LOVE GOD, OURSELVES, and OTHERS, PART 4

“Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did.” C.S. Lewis  

"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."   Augustine

PRAY:  Abba Father, I feel Your protection, I know I can trust You, I have hope because of You and I persevere because I want to please You and I'm excited about heaven. But I need You to help me to protect others, to trust other people, to hope for someone who can't feel hope right now, and to persevere in hard relationships. I want to be more loving. I want to be more like You! Amen.

REFLECT:  Have you noticed that the definitions of love in verse 7 are not usually what we think of when we're trying to be more loving? Read it again and ask the Lord to show you how protecting and trusting someone, hoping for them, and persevering for them, is a way to show your love for them. It takes love to a whole new level. 

ACT:  These expressions of love in verse 7 are the most intimate ways to show someone you love them. Choose a person close to you, maybe the same one as two days ago, and commit to telling them or showing them how you will protect them, and how you trust them. Then tell them what you are hoping for, for them. And then commit to persevere through a hard time, a difficult decision, or a broken relationship, with them. This is a deep commitment of love that will deepen and enrich your relationship.