Real Love – Greg Laurie Devotion – April 28, 2026

Biblical Context

John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, wrote the letter of 1 John. He was an eyewitness to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and his writing comes from a place of deep personal experience with Christ’s love. He wrote this letter to a group of believers facing false teachings and a loss of brotherly love within the church. John wanted to help them understand what true faith looks like, especially concerning the reality of Jesus as God’s Son and the importance of loving one another. He was an old man when he wrote this, probably around the end of the first century, and his message is clear: true faith in Jesus always shows itself through love for other believers. He’s not just talking about feelings; he’s talking about an active, real love that you can see.

Key Word Study

Let’s look at the word “love” from our main verse, especially the kind of love John talks about here. In Greek, the word used is agapē (ἀγάπη). This isn’t just a friendly feeling or a romantic attraction. Agapē is a very specific kind of love – it’s a selfless, sacrificial love. It’s about choosing to act in the best interest of another person, even when it’s hard or when they don’t deserve it. It’s a love that God Himself shows us, and it’s the kind of love He asks us to show to others. You don’t just feel this kind of love; you do it. It’s a choice you make, day in and day out, to care for and look out for your brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s the kind of love that God pours into your heart when you give your life to Him.

A New Kind of Love When You Meet Jesus

Pastor Greg Laurie shares something really real about what happened when he first gave his life to Jesus Christ. He said that one of the first things he felt was the erosion of bitterness and anger in his heart. It was like those feelings, which had been his constant companions for so long, just started to wear away. He’d kept them for as long as he could remember, nurturing them, holding onto them. But then, a new kind of love started to grow, a love he had not known before. This really took him by surprise. It shows how powerful God is and how powerful His love truly is. When you invite Jesus into your life, He doesn’t just forgive your sins; He starts to change you from the inside out. He replaces those heavy, hard feelings with His own divine love, making you different than you were before.

The Warning Sign: Hatred Toward a Fellow Believer

If we say we follow Christ, but we still hold onto bitterness or hatred in our hearts toward someone, that really should be a warning sign for us. The apostle John didn’t leave any room for excuses or misunderstandings when he wrote, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers” (1 John 4:20–21 nlt). This isn’t a suggestion; it’s a command. John is making it very clear: if you have hatred in your heart for other members of the body of Christ – your fellow believers – then there’s something seriously wrong in your spiritual life. It’s a problem you need to deal with right away if you want to grow in your faith and draw closer to God. You can’t truly love God, who you can’t see, if you can’t love your brother or sister right in front of you.

Active, Genuine Love

It’s not enough just to say you love people. The apostle Paul also talked about this in his letter to the Romans. He wrote, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:9–10 nlt). Paul is talking about something much more than just putting up with people. He means more than simply showing up together for an hour or two on Sunday mornings and then going your separate ways. The love Paul means is about actively growing closer to others. It often means finding ways to heal old hurts and removing anything that keeps you at a distance from other people. It’s a love that’s real, honest, and actively works to build up and connect with others, not just passively tolerate them.

Taking Your Hurts to God

Maybe someone has wronged you or hurt you deeply. It happens to all of us. If this is where you are right now, Pastor Laurie advises you to take it to God. Don’t try to handle it all by yourself. Let Him deal with it. Your part in this is to listen to His call to love and forgive that person, and not to try and get even with them. You might wonder why this is so important, especially when you feel like you have every right to be angry. Here’s why: that bitterness and hatred you hold onto will hurt you more than it will hurt the person you’re directing it toward. It will eat you up inside, slowly destroying your peace and your joy. It will get in the way of your relationship with God, making it harder to pray and keeping you from truly worshipping Him. For all practical purposes, that bitterness becomes a big obstacle in the close relationship God wants to have with you.

No Room for Hatred

The message is plain: there is absolutely no room for hatred, bitterness, or prejudice in the heart of someone who belongs to God. God wants our love to be honest and real, without any pretense or hypocrisy. He wants us to love like He loves – openly, genuinely, and completely. This kind of love isn’t just a nice idea; it’s the kind of love that actually changes lives, one person at a time, and ultimately, it’s the kind of love that changes the world around us. It’s the love that reflects Him to a world that desperately needs to see it.

So, here’s a real question for you today: How can you remove an obstacle that’s keeping you at a distance from someone else? Think about it, pray about it, and then ask God to show you what step to take. Maybe it’s a conversation, maybe it’s forgiveness, or maybe it’s just letting go of something you’ve held onto for too long. Whatever it is, God wants to help you clear the path to real love.