So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

I John 4:1

It’s so important to realize how much God loves you, because it undergirds your very life as a Christians. Love is always God’s top priority—both for you and through you. You may have often heard that you should love God, but God says, “I love you!” He started it. And when you believe it, it changes your life. Then with that love, you can love others.

If you struggle with believing that God loves you and has forgiven you in Christ, then walking in love with and forgiving other people will be hard for you.

God most displays His deep, unwavering love through Jesus, who is relentless in the pursuit of others, including those who have been discounted, rejected, and despised. Through Jesus, God’s actions towards His creation reveal a deep, unwavering love.

The best thing to do if you struggle with walking in love or forgiving is to press into God’s love for you. Study about it. Read 1 John a lot. Ask God to help you see His love for you more clearly every day. He’ll be happy to oblige!

When we try to love or forgive on our own, we’re limited by our own feelings or understanding. We can’t be the source of this kind of love. But when we believe that God’s love is in us (Romans 5:5)—when we connect to the love God has for us and the forgiveness He applies to us—then we have a limitless supply of love and forgiveness that can flow through us.

When I think about how good God has been to me—how generous, and loving, and forgiving—and how the greatness of His power is toward me to answer every prayer and take care of every problem, it just makes me want to share that love with everyone, even difficult people.

And I’ve found that when I approach people with that attitude, something wonderful happens. It’s hard to describe, because it’s supernatural, but I can almost say it’s like the surrounding atmosphere becomes “softer.” When I approach someone with the love of God as the top priority in my mind, it smooths things out and causes people to be more receptive—both to me and to the Gospel.

Loving should be as natural to a Christian as breathing. When you know and believe you’re loved by God, it just flows out of you, and then the world can see what Jesus said in John 13:35—they will know us by our love.