This is an excerpt from the Kingdom Family Devotional by Tony Evans and Jonathan Evans.

Do you love chocolate cake?

It’s easy to say we love cake . . . or donuts . . . or fried chicken!

Love is a funny word, isn’t it?

We toss it around like a softball or baseball when we’re playing catch.

It goes from one thing to another easily.

We love sports.

We love our favorite TV shows.

We love our favorite action heroes.

We love our favorite food.

We love that new girl or boy who just moved into town.

We love playing video games, reading books, or skateboarding.

You name it, and you’ll hear someone say how much he or she loves it.

Did you know that God’s definition of love isn’t always like our own?

When God talks about love, He isn’t talking about ooey-gooey feelings we have somewhere in our hearts.

He’s talking about a commitment.

He’s talking about a choice.

He’s talking about putting someone else ahead of ourselves.

Love can be defined as “compassionately and righteously pursuing the well-being of another.”

Love is an action, not an emotion.

And it’s a responsibility God has commanded us to live out.

The apostle John tells us, “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

Love is what we’re to do. Be. Feel. And experience.

Not just when something yummy pops out of the microwave or our favorite team wins the game.

Say 1 John 4:7 aloud enough times to learn it by heart. Start with short sections of the verse and add more until your family has memorized the whole passage.

To read the entire first week from the Kingdom Family Devotional, download this PDF.