1 John 3:17-18 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
The story was told about a
couple sitting on their front porch watching their neighbor across the street
get out of his car with a big bouquet. His wife met him about halfway down the
sidewalk. He gave her the flowers and hugged her; the man kissed his wife and
said, "I love you very much." Sitting on the porch beside her husband
across the street, the wife asked him: "What can't you do that? The
husband replied: "Oh honey, I couldn't do that; I hardly know the woman
across the street."
We know real love because
Christ gave up His life for us. And so, we ought to give up our lives for our
Christian brothers and sisters. This concept does not mean laying down our
lives in one glorious act of kindness; it means giving ourselves to Christ and
those around us who are in need. But if anyone has been blessed with more than
they need for their necessities of life and sees a person in need and refuses
to help, how can God's love be in the heart and soul of that person? Anyone can
say that they love all people, but the mark of genuine Christian love is seeing
someone in need and showing our love in action. The Apostle John will not allow
us to talk about our love for others; we demonstrate true love in our words,
speech, actions, and truth.
The question then arises: What
is the limit to the kind of love spoken of in this scripture verse? The only
limit is a limit placed on an individual by themselves. We cannot replace love
with talk; it is of no help talking about the needs of people; we can only
demonstrate true love through our actions. It is simpler to be more concerned
about humanity than to love some individuals we don't know just because they
are members of humanity.
We will most likely never get a
chance to save a person's life by laying down our life in exchange. However, we
should do the best we can do, and that is to help sustain their life with
material needs. When we give to another person just because they are in need,
we follow in Jesus' example of self-sacrificing love. Our love for our Lord and
Savior, Christ Jesus, manifests through our obedience. On the other hand, we
show our love for the other person by our sacrifice. The true testimony of
undisputable love is not spoken words but essential deeds, tangible actions
rather than hollow speech.
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