{"id":14196,"date":"2026-03-01T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=14196"},"modified":"2026-01-12T07:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T12:27:30","slug":"loving-through-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/01\/loving-through-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Loving Through Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul defines love. A verb, not a noun, Christ-like love requires actions; it never loses faith, always has hope, and endures in all circumstances. Jesus\u2019s actions on the cross demonstrate perfect love. He fulfilled all those requirements, willingly dying for us. And He gave us eternal hope when the Savior walked out of the tomb. We can love because Jesus first loved us. Tapping into His strength, we will find all we need to love others well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derek Redmond ran in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. During the Men\u2019s 400-meter semi-final, he tore his hamstring. Determined to finish the race, he hobbled along the track towards the finish line. From the stands, a man came rushing out onto the track, dodging security and coming alongside the injured runner. Placing his arm around the injured runner\u2019s shoulders, he helped cross the finish line. Derek Redmond\u2019s father epitomized love in action, telling his son with his actions, \u201cI got you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love does that, it tells us, \u201cI got you; I\u2019m going to help you finish the race and reach your destination.\u201d Jesus did that on the cross for us, and every day, we can do it for others. When we love others unconditionally, we\u2019ll do what it takes to help them accomplish their goals. As Christ\u2019s followers, we share the same finish line: loving God and others while sharing the gospel. Nothing spreads God\u2019s words faster than acts of love that let people know they matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The price we pay for something tells us its value. When Jesus died on the cross for us, paying for us with his very life, He gave us immeasurable value, something He offered to everyone. All people matter to the Savior, no matter the color of their skin or their economic status. When they nailed Christ\u2019s hands and feet to the cross, causing Him unspeakable pain, He did it for the love of us, to show each one of us how much we matter to Him. And we should do the same, loving others for the Savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Become an avid lover of people. Don\u2019t sit on the sidelines, run down to the track, meet them in their pain, and help them cross the finish line. Living for Jesus will help you do what He did. As we follow the Savior and learn the lessons He taught, we will become lovers of people. Everyone who comes before us today, the Savior died for. He valued them, and we should, too. When we go the distance with others, loving them unconditionally, we bless the Lord, and help make heaven crowded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journal Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Who has shown you unconditional love in your life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you become a better lover of people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who can you help get across the finish line today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gratitude fuels love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two-minute read. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul defines love. A verb, not a noun, Christ-like love requires actions; it never loses faith, always has hope, and endures in all circumstances. Jesus\u2019s actions on the cross demonstrate perfect love. He fulfilled all those requirements, willingly dying for us. And He gave us eternal hope… Continue reading Loving Through Gratitude<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14196"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14199,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14196\/revisions\/14199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}