love is an action.
God has been teaching how to be loved by Him and how to love Him. Most recently, He’s shown me that love is not merely lip service, it’s an ACTION! The most quoted Bible verse says,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)
God’s action was that He loved us so He GAVE.
Jesus is also represented in this verse because he GAVE his life as a sacrifice for us to have freedom in Him.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 NIV)
Jesus’ action was that He loved us so He SET US FREE from the bondage of sin.
In return, Jesus wants our love and we must actively love Him by being obedient. He says,
“If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14: 15-21 NIV)
In our obedience, He does another thing for us, He gives us His Holy Spirit. For me, the Holy Spirit is the game changer because He lives in us. In this way, He comforts us, He guides us, He helps us, He gives us power, and even teaches us how to love!
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)
God’s love is always coupled with an action, and that’s what He wants from us. If we say we love Him, then we are to be obedient to His commands. We are to spend time with Him by reading His word. We are to build a relationship with Him by speaking to Him in prayer and being silent while in His presence.
Love is an action!
But there’s a second part to this. The same way God shows us His love is how we are to love others. Our greatest commandment is love:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)
When we love, we develop characteristics that help us to show that love to others:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)
Let us go forth and actively show our love to God and others. It’s my daily goal and I pray I am doing so.
One love.
