The role for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.
— C.S. Lewis

Have you ever asked yourself what love is? It might sound like an obvious answer, but true love may be different than you expect.

Is your definition of love one that is worldly or godly? The world defines “love” differently than God does. One is conditional, and the other is unconditional. God’s love is unconditional and perfect (1 John 4:18). Therefore, God wants you to love unconditionally, and as He loves.

When you ask yourself, “What is love?” you have to look to the Father. “We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.” (1 John 4:16 AMP)

John tells you that God is love. If God equals love, then love equals God. 1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Love is a byproduct of having a deep relationship with God. It is impossible to know Him closely and not learn how to love, because the Holy Spirit transforms you to be more like Christ. And when you become more like Christ, you become more capable of love.

We all are capable of love because we were made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), but to showcase unconditional love consistently results from knowing God personally.

Since God is love, everything He thinks, speaks, and does shows His love for you. That is why James reminds us: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17).

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NLT) defines love: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance… But love will last forever.”

God never gives up on you, never loses faith, always hopes, and always endures with you through every circumstance. Since God does this for you, you are to do the same for others.

Please understand God has boundaries, and I am not encouraging you to be walked over, disrespected, or abused. You can love people from afar in those extreme situations. But overall, we are to behave as 1 Corinthians so clearly states.

Love is strong. It can absorb and withstand loveless behavior. How many times have you operated in fear or acted lovelessly, and yet God still poured out His love for you?

Everyone stumbles. Everyone struggles. Jesus tells you to first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s or sister’s eye (Matthew 7:5). Why? Because humility produces compassion, kindness, and grace for those who stumble. Pride produces only self-righteousness—something God detests. At the end of the day, sin is sin. We are not more deserving of love than another.

Love is not tit for tat, but self-sacrificing (John 15:13). Love assumes the best, holds onto faith, trusts, and stays optimistic. Christ commands us to love one another as He has loved us (John 15:12). That means love is a choice. If we do not respond in love, we are sinning.

This is why renewing your mind (Romans 12:2) is so important—so that love becomes your reflex. Neuroscience confirms this: you are wired for love, and fear is a learned behavior. If God is love and you are made in His image, then love is your foundation. That is why operating from love feels so good. Fear, cruelty, and judgment don’t—they elevate cortisol, create toxic stress, and destroy the body.

Love heals. Fear destroys. Oxytocin, the “love hormone,” melts away toxic thoughts and helps rewire your brain. When you respond in love, endorphins and serotonin are released, making you feel filled with light. Love detoxes your brain, raises motivation, and increases wisdom.

You are to have the same mindset as Christ (Philippians 2:5). Attitudes reflect how you choose to think and feel, and they reveal your spiritual maturity.

In answering the question, What is love? Love is God. God is love. Love is your default mode. Love is your spirit shining through. Love is renewing your mind and character to be more like Christ. Love is shown by actively listening, helping, encouraging, giving, comforting, creating, sacrificing, and meeting others’ needs. Love allows the light inside of you to shine outwardly, helping people feel like they belong and are enough.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8 NKJV)

I cannot talk about God’s love without talking about belonging. Love helps people feel they belong, and every human craves belonging and connection. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10)

These verses remind us of the power of relationships. God created us to be in relationship with Him and others because love is meant to be shared. It’s easy to be short with people you don’t like or ignore those who seem alone. However, God calls you to show grace, mercy, compassion, and kindness to all. It doesn’t matter if they deserve it—because you don’t always deserve it either.

The next time you are at a gathering and see someone alone, reach out. Connect with them. Help them know they belong in the body of Christ.

I promise you if you could do a better job at loving as God loves, many of your life’s problems would go away. Love is the answer to everything because God is the answer to everything. So when you don’t know what to do—Love.💕

What can you start doing to show more of God’s love to yourself and others?