God doesn’t just love the lovely. He loves the unlovely too. No matter how bad, mean or ornery someone might be, if they’ll turn to Him, He’ll cleanse them and forgive them. He’ll let them partake of the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, so they can have a new life in Him.

That’s the way God loves us, and that’s the way He expects us to love each other. In 1 Corinthians 13, He gives us a detailed description of that kind of love. That description is especially good in the Amplified Bible.

According to the Bible, that kind of love is the distinguishing mark of a Christian. It’s God’s love that sets you apart. You and I have a high calling. We’re called to live a life of love just like Jesus did.

Does that mean we’ll have to die like He did? Literally speaking, probably not. But we will have to die to our own selfish tendencies and desires. We’ll have to stop centering our lives on what we want and what we feel. We’ll have to stop looking out for ourselves all the time. Walking in love means we lay down our own rights and look out for the other person’s rights instead.

I realize that may sound tough, but it’s actually the surest way to be wonderfully blessed, because when you walk in love, God takes care of you! You could never take care of yourself as well as He does. The Bible says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose heart is blameless toward Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9, amp). So when you walk in love, you can rest assured He will see to it that you prosper in every way.

Not only that, when you stop being selfish, you’ll be a happier person. When you’re self-centered, you’re always thinking about yourself. You’re always thinking about someone who did you wrong…or how much you have to do.

It’s impossible for a selfish person to stay happy for very long because everything centers around him. We’re not made to live that way. We’re not big enough or powerful enough for everything to center around us. The more we keep our minds on ourselves, the easier it is for the devil to upset us.

But praise God, you’ve been born again, you’ve been delivered from selfishness. It’s lost its dominion over you. You don’t have to center your life around yourself. You have the power to center your life around God instead. You can keep your mind on obeying His Word and living a life of love! He will take care of everything else (Matthew 6:33).

Speak the Word

I walk in love. I do not insist on my own rights or my own way, for I am not self-seeking. (1 Corinthians 13:5, amp)