“For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have?” —Matthew 5:46
Years ago I heard a definition of godly love that stuck in my heart and has become a measuring tool for my own life: Genuine love is totally giving myself to meet the needs of another person without expecting anything in return.
Sometimes when I give to meet a need I also have a hidden desire for that love to be reciprocated. I’m serving so that person will love me in return. However, genuine love is giving of myself totally—maybe even sacrificially—for the benefit and the good of another person without expecting to get anything in return.
Romans 5:8 tells us, “God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We have a God who loved us, not because we deserved it, not because He found anything beautiful, attractive, or desirable in us but just because He is love. Let’s ask God to help us love even when it doesn’t look like we’ll get anything back.
Make it Personal
Have you ever known someone who exhibited the definition of love above? How did the example of their love impact your life?