Mother Teresa said, “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”

Composers, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, were on to something back in 1965 when they wrote…“What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” If there is one word that should define Christians, it is undoubtedly LOVE.

1 John 4:8 (NIV) – Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

All of Scripture revolves around the central idea of love because that is who He is. Love is what defined Christ and love is what should define us as His disciples. Though David’s and Bacharach’s song stands the test of time, they weren’t the first to remind us that what the world needs now is love. The Apostle Paul could have had a hit song when he penned this:

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) – And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

More than faith or hope, love is considered the greatest spiritual attribute. Why? God defines us by who we are in Him, but the world defines us by what we do. Faith and hope are internal qualities, but love is the external expression of what is in our hearts. We show the world who God is by how we love them. 

1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV) – The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

We are God’s representatives of love to the world. Martin Luther King Jr said, “People are often led to causes and often become committed to great ideas through persons who personify those ideas. They have to find the embodiment of the idea in flesh and blood in order to commit themselves to it.” In order to spread the cause of Christ, we must remain in Him and become like Him in word and deed. 

John 15:9-12 (NIV) – 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  

What a great responsibility we have been given! God is love, and we are commissioned to display that love toward each other as believers so that people will be drawn to Christ when they look at our lives. People should see Christ when they see us.