A Love Like Christ: 14 Days of Devotionals
Love in today’s world is defined by feelings, emotions, and selfish desire. It is not defined by the truth of the gospel and the scriptures. However, Christianity defines love by the life changing book called the Bible. Its entire existence is rooted in the love of Christ that he showed on the cross. While we were sinners, Christ died for us on the cross. Out of love, he gave up his life so that we might find salvation in him. God shows us love everyday by offering us grace when we sin. As his followers, we should be like him and follow his example. We should love our families, our friends, even our enemies. 1 Corinthians 13 and Colossians 3 shows us how to love like he did. It also shows us what love is and what love is not. Spend some time over the next 14 days reading these devotionals together as a family, and then spend some time in prayer, asking God to help each of you love like he loves.
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Day 1: Love is not Noisy
If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1
There seem to be many forms of Christianity today. Some are based on works or acts of service but are not ground in the Word. Some are based on the world’s definition of love and kindness, but are also not ground in the Word. Still, others are based on legalism and the rules of Christianity rather than the love of the Lord. However, this verse is very clear about the true definition of a Christian. A Christian is someone who speaks with the sounds of love, the only kind of love that is found in Christ. All else is but a clanging cymbal.
As Christians who have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, we must live with the love of God in our hearts. We must let love be the heartbeat of our lives. Christ loved without condition. He gave his life as a ransom for those he loved - us. He calls us his bride. His love will do anything for his people. What will your love do?
Questions to Ask:
- What does your love look like with your friends? Your family? What about your enemies?
- How can you show love to others?
Day 2: Faith and Love
If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2-3
Faith is a beautiful thing. Dictionary.com defines faith as “confidence or trust in a person or thing.” Faith can believe during trying times. Faith can make the impossible possible. Remember the story of Sarah and Abraham. They had a baby in their old age - that was impossible. Remember how Peter, Jesus’ disciple, walked on water? That was impossible! Yet, God makes the impossible possible. However, without the love of God, that kind of faith would be completely impossible.
Faith is believing in what you cannot see. Love makes that kind of faith possible. Love helps you believe in the things of God that you cannot see. It helps you look at the beautiful sunrise and sunset and know that God is real. Spend some time today in prayer, asking him to help you believe he is who he says he is and that he will do the things he says he will do. Ask him to put love in your heart for him and others.
Questions to Ask:
- What is faith to you?
- How can loving God help you have faith?
Day 3: Patient and Kind
Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant… 1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient. It waits on the truth and waits for others. It does not get angry easily. Love is kind. It loves others without expectation and looks to the interests of others. Love does not become jealous for what others have or what you do not have. It does not brag about talents or material things. There is no arrogance in love. It does not assert authority or superiority over others who seem weaker.
This verse tells us what love is and what love is not. We can learn how we ought to live because of this verse. We can be patient and kind and show this type of love to others. When we live this way, we may just find that others treat us this way as well.
Questions to Ask:
- Describe a time when someone showed you kindness.
- How can you be patient and kind with others?
Day 4: No Record of Wrongs
…is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5
Love is not rude. It does not say hateful things because it is always kind! Think of Jesus and how he treated others. He handled those around him with grace and kindness. Love does not look for its own interests, but the interests of others. It is not selfish. It is not irritable, but is patient!
When everyone else lashes out, love speaks gently. Most of all, it keeps no record of wrongs. This is something that can only be done in love. We, as people, are quick to hold things over others heads. We can sometimes hold onto those things far too long. Love forgives instead of keeping a record of wrongs.
Questions to Ask:
- How can you live in such a way that forgives and seeks out others’ interests instead of your own?
- Is there someone you need to forgive? Ask God to help you forgive so you can show others your love.
Day 5: Joy in the Truth
Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 1 Corinthians 13:6
Love and righteousness go together. Righteousness just means living a right, godly life or striving to be like Christ. If you are trying to live a righteous, godly life, then you will have love. If you love with a Christ-like love, then you will be pursuing righteousness. It is one continuous cycle. No joy can be found in unrighteousness, sin, and lies. Love instead rejoices with the truth.
Have you ever told the truth about something when you were asked a difficult question? Doesn’t it feel good to tell the truth? That is because there is love in the truth. Lean toward the truth today and find love in righteous living.
Question to Ask:
- Do you tend to tell the truth or lie?
- How can you be more truthful and show love in that truth? Pray and ask God to help you be truthful today.
Day 6: Believe, Hope, and Endure
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:7
Love bears all things. When times are hard, love bears. That word bears also means to remain according to dictionary.com. When everything around you crumbles, love remains - it stays. When times are good, it still remains. God’s love is always there for you. It never leaves. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” This is how love remains - it remains because the Lord is always there.
Love always believes, hopes, and endures. It believes when others tell you not to believe. It hopes when it seems like there is no hope. It endures when everything else is taken away. Love never gives up!
Question to Ask:
- Have you ever been through something hard and found it hard to believe?
- Do you trust that God is always there for you?
- Do you have the hope of the Lord? Pray and ask God to help you believe and hope.
Day 7: Love Never Ends
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 1 Corinthians 13:8
Love is the one thing that has lasted since the beginning of time and continues to last throughout the ages. Everything else in this world will come to an end, but love will not. 1 John 2:17 tells us that “the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.” The world, its desires, and its view of love will all pass away someday. It is important in this life to hope in the things of God and not the things of the world. If we hope in him and his love, we will find peace. But if we trust in the world and its view of love, then we will never know true, godly love.
Spend some time in prayer today, asking God to show you how to trust in his love and who he is, so you can experience peace.
Questions to Ask:
- Do you hope in the Lord and his love?
- How has God shown his love to you?
Day 8: We Know in Part
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. 1 Corinthians 13:9-10
In this world, it is impossible to know everything that is going on. We only know in part. We only know our side of the story. Look into someone else’s eyes. You have no idea what they have been through or what the life they live looks like. When you talk to others, remember that they have a story. They have a life you may know nothing about. God knows all. He knows every person, their thoughts, their heartache, and their joys. He knows every person’s journey because he walks with them throughout it.
Love displays kindness and grace. Love helps you give grace to others when it seems they don’t deserve it. Doesn’t that make sense? We could never do that on our own, only with the help and love of the Lord. Pray and ask God to help you love others by giving them grace.
Questions to Ask:
- How can you treat others the way you want to be treated?
- How can you show others you love them by giving them grace?
Day 9: Growing in Faith
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11
The Christian life is a journey. It begins the moment of salvation and continues throughout the rest of your life. In the beginning of your relationship with the Lord, you may not know all the things there is to know about the Lord. A child does not know everything at birth, right? They learn as they grow up. You will constantly learn more about the Lord as you grow in your faith. Getting involved in a church, studying the Bible, and praying will help you grow. If you are a child, learn from older adults who have spent many years growing in their faith. If you are an adult, never stop learning. Love is rooted in faith. As you grow in your faith, you will grow in love for the Lord and others.
Spend time in prayer, asking God to grow in your faith. Ask him to put others in your life to help you grow as well.
Questions to Ask:
- Who do you look up to in your life?
- How can you grow in your faith?
Day 10: Fully Known
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12
God knows us fully because he created us. Psalm 139:1-2 tells us “Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
you understand my thoughts from far away.” He knows us better than anyone else! We do not know him as well as he knows us. In fact, these verses tell us that we only know in part right now. We see dimly as in a mirror. When you look in a mirror, you can only see what is right in front of you. That is how this life is. We see what is in the present, but that is it. God sees so much more. He sees the past, present, and future.
In this life, we only know in part and can only see what is right in front of us. Someday, when we get to heaven, we will know in full, and we will be fully known. Everything will be worthwhile when we see the love of our lives, Jesus.
Questions to Ask:
- Are you thankful for what the Lord has done for you? Pray and thank God for creating you and loving you.
- How can you show others that you love them?
Day 11: Faith, Hope, and Love
Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
Faith, hope, and love are pillars for the Christian faith. They remain when all else seems to go away. These should be our focus as Christians. First, we should focus on our faith. It is what drives us in everything we do. Faith guides us to trust the Lord and know that he always watches out for us. Second, we should focus on hope. Hope gives us the ability to look to the future and all God has for us. Hope gives us joy in the midst of troubles or sorrow.
Above both of these, though, is love. Love is the greatest attribute. Love never ends. It continues when it seems hard to hold on to faith and hope. You can always hold onto love. God is love and shows us how to love. All we have to do is listen and pay attention.
Questions to Ask:
- What do you hope for in your Christian life?
- How is love the greatest between the three: faith, hope, and love?
- How can you have all three of these things in your life? Pray and ask the Lord to give you all three of those things so you may better serve and love him.
Day 12: Put On These Things
Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12
God chose us as his people out of his deep love for us. We are holy and dearly loved because we are loved by him. 1 John 4:19 says that we only know how to love because he first loved us. He is our teacher and our example for how to love. Since we know how to love, we must put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience everyday. We need to put these qualities on like we put on clothes. When you get dressed in the morning, you make sure you have on certain things. You take care putting these things on. However, you should take even more care putting on these qualities. We don’t literally wear them like clothes, but we make sure we live our lives with these qualities. When you put them on, you will find it easier to love others.
Spend time today in prayer, asking God to help you be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. He is the only one who can help you.
Questions to Ask:
- How does putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience help you love others?
- How can you be more compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient?
Day 13: Forgive Others
…bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Colossians 3:13
Love forgives. Have you ever been wronged? It can be difficult to get over something once you’ve been wronged, can’t it? If you let it, it can take weeks, months, or even years to get over something depending on what it was. Imagine Jesus on the cross. We wrong him over and over again every time we commit even a little sin. Yet, he forgives us when we ask for forgiveness. That is true love. It forgives and does not hold on to wrongs.
So just as the Lord has forgiven us, we ought to forgive others. We will feel love in our hearts when we forgive.
Questions to Ask:
- Has anyone ever done you wrong?
- How did you forgive them? If you haven’t, take some time to pray and ask God to help you forgive.
Day 14: Put on Love
Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Colossians 3:14
Love is above all else. As we’ve learned from 1 Corinthians 13, love is what ties everything together. What does this mean? You cannot do anything without love. Love must be in your heart to serve others and to have faith and hope. Love is what motivates us and what allows us to forgive.
So everyday, put on love. Put it on when you get up. Put it on when you go throughout your day. Put it on when you lay your head down at night. Put it on so you can love God and others. Pray and ask God to help you love him and others above everything else that you do.
Questions to Ask:
- How can you put on love?
- How does love tie everything together?
Love is truly the greatest gift that the Lord has given. Love can help us believe in the salvation of Jesus, hope in heaven, trust in all the Lord is going to do, and forgive others so we can move on with our lives and move closer to the Lord. God’s love can make the impossible possible. Spend some time as a family, thanking God for his love, and ask him to show you how to make love the center of your life and your family. May you love him with everything in you!
