To Be Good at Loving Others, You Have to Practice

by Rick Warren — February 5, 2020

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7 NLT).

Love is a skill. If you struggle to love well, here’s some good news: Love is learned! That means the more you practice, the better you will become at it. No matter how you’ve loved or been loved in the past, you can become amazing at loving others.

In fact, God wants you to be become a master at this skill. He wouldn’t tell you to love others if he wasn’t going to help you to do just that.

Yet many people never learn how to love.

Do you want to be known as a person of extraordinary love? When people speak of how you love others, do you want them to say, “He loves you regardless of where you’ve been,” or “She loves you no matter what you’ve done”? Do you want to be remembered for how much you owned or accomplished, or do you want to be remembered for how well you loved?

God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will teach and enable you to love others. But to become extraordinary at it, you need to practice it over and over again. It may feel awkward at first as you learn to love with a greater capacity than is humanly possible, relying on the powerful and supernatural love of God to work through you. But the more you love like this, the better you will become at loving unconditionally.

The Bible says in 1 John 4:7 that love comes from God. When you practice and commit to loving others like Jesus loves you, they will take notice and will be drawn to God.

This devotional © 2020 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Talk It Over

  • Think of someone you know who loves others well. What marks the way that person treats others in everyday interactions?
  • How did Jesus show his love for others? How can you do the same?
  • If love is a skill, it must be practiced. What are some specific ways you can practice loving others this week?

God offers you salvation. And today is the day to accept it.

When you say, “Not yet” to God’s gift of salvation, you’re actually saying no to Christ. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you” (TLB).

How do you accept salvation? You turn away from yourself and toward God. You trust Christ to come into your life, forgive your sins, and make you who he wants you to be.

If you’re ready to accept God’s salvation, you can pray a prayer like this:

Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

If you just prayed to accept the gift of salvation through Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.


Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.