Exercising godly love involves a challenging process, as the intent of the heart must be correct for any word or deed to reflect true love. The human heart, however, is deceitful and wicked, often leading us to believe we act for the right reasons when we are deceiving ourselves. Our resistant nature avoids honest self-examination, hindering spiritual growth unless we acknowledge our inner defilement. The Lord searches the heart and tests the mind to reveal its true condition, guiding us in this journey. Godly love serves as the capstone in a procedural order of virtues. Attributes such as tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and forgiveness set the stage for love, yet these can be performed for wrong reasons without it. Even virtuous actions may lack godly love if done out of compulsion or fear rather than genuine care. Therefore, we must intentionally put on godly love to complete these qualities. A progression of virtues leads to godly love, beginning with faith as the foundational building block. To faith, we add virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly kindness, culminating in love. Without faith, which underpins all we hope for, none of these qualities can develop, and without love as the final step, the process remains incomplete. This progression demonstrates that producing godly love requires much effort and many components. As we grow into the image of God, love becomes our nature, motivating all we do, just as it motivates all He does. Jesus Christ teaches that love for one another identifies His disciples, a love that encompasses keeping commandments and embodying faith, virtue, spiritual knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, mercy, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and forgiveness, all done for the right reasons from a pure heart. This complex and humanly impossible godly love must come from God and be developed in us by Him. As we walk with Him, know Him, and submit to Him, His way and nature become ours, teaching us through this process to love as He loves.

Love stands at the very core of true Christianity, identified by the apostle Paul as the greatest of virtues that abide, surpassing even faith and hope. Yet, this divine love is often misunderstood because its source and origin are with God. Only those to whom God has revealed Himself and given His Spirit can truly embody this love as part of their character. Godly love is not something we generate within ourselves; it is a fruit that must be produced, growing under the right conditions and taking time to ripen. In essence, it involves doing what is best for another person, reflecting an outgoing concern for one's fellow man, and relating to God and His creation as the Father and the Son relate to each other and to the creation. There are tests to evaluate whether an act embodies godly love. One clear measure is whether the act aligns with God's law, as godly love always operates within these bounds. Another test is the intent or motivation behind the word or deed. Two individuals may perform the same act, but it qualifies as godly love for one and not for the other based on why it was done. The apostle Paul illustrates that even remarkable gifts or acts, such as speaking in other languages, inspired speaking, perfect spiritual understanding, great faith, or tremendous sacrifices, are meaningless if not motivated by love. Without the intent of outgoing concern and a focus on emulating the Father and the Son, such acts can stem from pride, vanity, or a desire for attention, serving the self rather than others. The process of godly love is challenging because the intent of the heart must be correct for an act to truly be love, yet the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. It is possible to perform good works and believe they are done for the right reasons, while still deceiving ourselves about our true motivations.