The NIV 365 Day Devotional
Developing the Habit of Love
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.1 John 4:8
As John writes, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1Jn 4:8). God alone is the source of love, and he uses his believers as conduits to express his love in the world. Because we have received God’s love, we are called to carry out that love into the world by loving our neighbors.
But what does it mean to love our neighbor? As Dallas Willard explains, “We love something when we are devoted to its good or well-being. This applies to God, our “neighbor,” our flower garden, or our bank account. Love is will-to-good. Not the same as desire. And not always directed rightly or ordered rightly. Love involves compassion.”
Here are four mini-habits that help us develop love for our neighbor:
- Spend one minute at a set time every day asking God to increase your ability to show your neighbors the same love he shows you.
- Memorize and meditate on 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.”
- Once a month, read aloud 1 Corinthians 13 and replace the words “Love is” with “I am” and “It does” with “I do.” Which phrases seem most untrue about you? For example, hearing yourself say, “I am patient, I am kind” (v. 4) might make you aware of times when you are neither patient nor kind.
- Make a list of three groups: In the first group list three to ten of your closest family and friends. In the second group, list five to ten other people you engage with regularly. In the third group, choose one to three people who are far outside your circles of engagement (such as a missionary or an orphan in another country). Think of ways to show com passion to each person on the list.
Practical Takeaway: By practicing habits of love, we show the world the love of our Creator.
Taken from the NIV Spiritual Habits Bible.