What Kind of Love Are You Talking About? – Today’s Family Devotion

What Kind of Love Are You Talking About?

Bible Reading:  1 Corinthians 13:1-13

There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

On the count of three, point to the person in your family who most often sings along with the radio. One, two, three. Point!

You’re a rare family if you don’t have someone who sings in the shower, the car, or right in your ear! I’m guessing that you didn’t even wait until the count of three to get your finger in that person’s face.

Now answer this question: What songs does your singer sing?

Chances are he or she is singing about love. Because if you turn on the radio or TV at any time of the day or night, you can’t get away from love. It’s sung about on music stations, dramatized-often melodramatized-in soap operas, humorized in sit­coms, and mocked in trash-talk shows. Here’s what you hear:

• “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”

• “I love what you do for me.”

• “If you really love me, show me.”

• “I want your love, I need your love (0 baby, baby, baby).”

In yesterday’s devotion we said that true love means making the health, happi­ness, and growth of another person as important to you as your own. But what does that look like in everyday life? Can you think of some concrete examples for kids and adults to follow?

Here are a few ideas:

• If you think it’s reasonable for your sister to share her toys, books, clothes, or CDs with you, love requires that you do the same for her.

• If you expect your teachers to treat you with respect, love requires that you treat them with respect and not bad-mouth them to other students.

• If you think your parents should drive you everywhere you want to go, love requires that you do your part to lighten their workload.

In most situations the loving thing to do isn’t hard to figure out. Just put your­self in the shoes of the person involved and ask, “What’s the best I could wish for if I were that person?” When you figure out the answer, love requires you to do the best you can, based on the opportunity and your ability.

TALK: How does being loved by God help you make the health, happiness, and growth of others a priority in your own life?

PRAY: Father, give us a love for others that is like the love you have for us.

ACT: Think hard about something kind you would like done for you. Now surprise someone else by doing it for him or her!