Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV)
We have the best example of how to treat others: Jesus. As believers, we are to walk in love and even lay down our lives for someone else if necessary.
Love requires being selfless and sacrificing our needs for the sake of others. That is precisely what Jesus did for us.
When we do this, our lives become like a sweet perfume permeating the very air with the love of God. Let us imitate the Rose of Sharon and be a fragrant aroma so wonderful that others will want to know Him.
“In the New Testament, love is more of a verb than a noun. It has more to do with acting than with feeling. The call to love is not so much a call to a certain state of feeling as it is to a quality of action.”
- R. C. Sproul