Read with me, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.”

Romans 12:9-10

What does Romans 12:9-10 mean for us today?Our love must be sincere. The dictionary defines sincere as free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings. Love that is sincere flows from true affection and honor, it is not made up. Love doesn’t lie or manipulate. True love is just that, true. It always seeks out the true value of the other person. It always believes the best, and hopes for the well being of another. It is deficient in nothing except deceit or pretense. It is honest, pure, unfeigned, and heartfelt.To the same extent that we are to truly love, we are also to hate evil. Love is the force that makes us stand up for someone else, defend them, and remind them of the truth God has said about them. The love we have for one another should spur us on in our pursuit to eradicate every vile and evil thing that comes against our loved ones. We can easily do this by clinging to that which is good, in us and in others. Love allows us to seek it out, embrace it, and champion the person as valuable and loved. It becomes easy to love others when we choose to intentionally seek out and cling to what is good about a person. Our devotion should be to love. When our devotion is to ourselves and our own wants, it is quite hard to truly love others. Our devotion should be to always seek the better in each other, and elevate each other to a higher standard. Sincere love allows us to not compete with each other, seeking our own gain and validation, but love asks ” how can I love YOU better?” in loving well, we manifest Christ, encouraging others to love and seek Him, also.

Read with me, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you…”

1 Thessalonians 3:12

There is a way of loving others that can only be accomplished by a work of God in your heart. He alone is able to increase our heart’s capacity to see the value in others and love them accordingly. To love them as Christ sees them, not as I see them. To love them according to what Christ has done and who He is, as opposed to what they have done. We need to come to a place where we regard people not according to perceived faults, but according to the amazing value the price Christ payed has placed on their lives. When we become Christ focused it becomes easier to see someone else’s value because we are not self-absorbed but love focused. We cannot live in the past of what others did to us, we need to allow God to increase the capacity of our hearts to abound in love towards them.

Pray with me, “God, thank you for loving us so perfectly, and calling us to be perfected in this love. Help me see the good in others, help me realize their value and worth, let me love like You do. Teach me what it means to love honourably. God, I want to live a life of love and honour.