One of the best ways to improve your love walk is to imitate those who are most loving toward you. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul says the same thing: “Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah)” (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).
1. Recognize True Love
Now, keep in mind, the people who really show you love are not those who agree with you all the time or only say what you like to hear. In fact, the most loving people will often make you uncomfortable when they call you to a higher level—but that’s true love!
They are also a picture of 1 Corinthians 13—patient, kind, thoughtful, not rude or prideful, not easily angered, and not grudge holders. They believe in justice and truth, persevere, believe the best in others, and keep hoping even during difficult times.
2. Imitate the Words and Actions of Those Who Love Well
If you are blessed to know someone like this, pay close attention to how they talk and what they do. Imitate the words and actions of those who love well. Let the loving way they live their lives become a pattern for you.
Noticing how others practically express God’s love can inspire you and instruct you as you seek to make love a reality in your daily life. When you find your heart warmed and your spirit lifted by the sweet smile and kind words of another, you can adopt the same habit and pass that love along. When you’re blessed by someone who consistently finds the best in you, rather than just enjoying the benefits of their love, you can practice their example and look for the best in others, too.
3. Learn from Examples of Real Love
Kenneth and Gloria have a dear friend who learned to love from her father like that. She says he was the kindest person anyone could ever know. He didn’t even seem to see the faults in others. He loved everyone unconditionally with a strong yet gentle love.
Although he was not given to words of flattery, she said that every time he looked into your eyes, you could see that he appreciated you. He had a way of making you feel you were the most loved person on earth. At times, he would hear a preacher deliver a sermon full of mistakes, yet afterward when others were berating the minister, my friend’s father would have something good to say. He would find some point to agree with and exclaim, “Oh, I was so blessed by that brother today!” The others around him would quickly grow quiet, sensing that his love was far superior to their doctrinal correctness.
We can learn from examples of real love in our own lives if we seek them out. Even better, perhaps someone will begin watching you.
4. Remember the Ultimate Example of Love
Perhaps you have no one in your life who sets such a loving example for you. Perhaps you have no flesh-and-blood father to follow. If so, draw from others what you can, and then remember the ultimate example of love—your Friend and Savior, Jesus. Study His love life in the Scriptures and ask Him to help you become an inspiration to those who will follow in your footsteps. Become for them what you so long to find—a real-life example of love.
Watch Kenneth Copeland teach you why love changes everything.
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