Bank tellers have a rather thankless job. All that monotonous counting, handling germy dollar bills, and dealing all day with people who are likely in a hurry. But of all the skills they need to have, one is eminently important: the ability to identify a counterfeit dollar bill. Bank tellers must look at a bill and, in a matter of seconds, observe minute details that signal whether it’s real or a forgery.

To gain this skill, bank tellers don’t study forgeries; they study the real thing. By thoroughly knowing the details of the original, they can readily pick up on anything that doesn’t match it.

Bank tellers don’t study forgeries; they study the real thing. By thoroughly knowing the details of the original, they can readily pick up on anything that doesn’t match it.

If we are to be people who live in the love of God, we must know what His love truly is. And since God Himself is love, we must know His character. But counterfeits abound: people who may look and sound genuine, but they neither come from nor represent God. A genuine believer is one who has been transformed by the love of God and loves as He loves. God takes the real thing seriously—and so should we.