What About Love?

What about love? The word LOVE is used so frequently. We hug goodbye and say “I love you”.  I hear people in the grocery store talking on their cell phone and end by saying “love you”. But do they really mean it?

When I was growing up, those words were said less frequently.  Many friends my age can’t remember hearing the words “I love you” when they were children.  It was assumed that they already knew it.  I’m glad that my family was more verbal and expressive.  I knew I was loved and I’m so thankful for that.

But the frequent use of the phrase got me thinking about the Christian community. As believers and disciples of Jesus Christ we are commanded to “love one another”.  John 13:34-35 says:

“A new command I give you: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will  know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

As I really studied those verses, Jesus was very serious about love.  The world should know us as Christians …by our love for one another.

I have to ask a question.  Is that what the world sees in us?  Or do they see bickering and divisions among us on the unimportant issues?

Now, I’m not talking about doctrine.  There’s no changing the Gospel message.  God loved us so much, He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins.  And we can receive the gift of salvation …only through Jesus. We are forgiven and cleansed from all of our sins, past, present and future.

Therefore, doesn’t that give you reason to be thankful?  Doesn’t that give you a reason to obey what God commands?

The community of believers are to have a love for one another.  We may have different personalities.  Some people have some rough edges.  After all, we’re at different places in our journey of faith and sanctification.

I think we need to be reminded of this from time to time, and that includes me.  Do I have a love for my fellow believers?  How can I demonstrate that love to them?

I thought I’d start a list of ways and maybe you can help out by adding your thoughts in the comments.  Would you help complete this list?

• Pray for one another and …really do it.
• Be a listening ear to someone who needs to talk (without thinking about what you’ll say in response)
• Send a card to let someone know you’re thinking of them
• Bake an extra casserole and give it to a family in need
• Send a $5 gift card to a person anonymously
• Call someone that you haven’t seen in church lately to see how they are doing
• Check in on a friend you know has been depressed
• Visit an elderly person who is lonely

This list is incomplete so I hope you will add to it.  Let’s put our heads together and see how we can demonstrate our love for one another as the Bible says.  Let the world see that as Christians, there is a difference in how we live our lives.  Let them see that we really do love one another, not only in words …but in actions too.

Heart Choices

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