Love Is a Skill That Can Be Learned

by Rick Warren

“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, second edition).

Love is a skill that can be learned. In other words, it’s something you can get good at, and that means you get better at love by practicing love.

You may think you’re a good lover, but God wants you to become a great lover, a skilled lover, a master lover. Yet, most people never learn how to love.

You can become an expert at relationships. Wouldn’t you like to become known as a person of extraordinary love? When people speak of how you love others, they might say, “He doesn’t care who you are or what you look like” or “She doesn’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve done or where you’re from.”

The only way you get skilled at something is to practice. You do it over and over. The first time you do it, it feels awkward, but the more you do it, the better you become.

The same is true with love (1 John 4:7). Let’s practice loving each other. The Bible says, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15 HCSB).

Talk It Over

• Think of someone you know who loves others well. How can you learn from him or her?

• In what specific ways can you practice loving others well this week?

• What can you learn from Jesus about how to love others?