Love Language

In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.

-- Matthew 20:28

It's estimated that there are up to 7,000 different languages in the world. Mandarin Chinese has the most speakers (about 1 billion), while Spanish and English come in a distant second and third with about 400 million and 360 million respectively. Meanwhile, the Bible teaches that every Christ-follower--regardless of their nationality--should be fluent in at least one Romance language. But that doesn't mean Italian, Spanish, French or even Portuguese. Instead, we should speak the language of love.

What's that mean? Let's look to our Creator for how he communicates his love to us. There's the famous story of the Prodigal Son, where the loving Father welcomes back his wayward--and totally undeserving--child with open arms. Or what about the Shepherd, who searches tirelessly for that single missing sheep? When he finally finds it, he returns it triumphantly to the rest of the flock. In both examples we see that love isn't a feeling or an emotion. Rather, it's all about action.

As Christ-followers, we should also speak this biblical love language by demonstrating God's goodness in tangible ways. It might be through helping an elderly neighbor run an important errand--or volunteering to manage a co-worker's project when he or she is struggling to finish an earlier assignment. Or maybe it's cleanup at a local park or visiting residents at an assisted living center. There's no shortage of examples.

The message is clear. We're to be Jesus' hands and feet on earth while we wait for his return--or that day when he calls us back home (whichever comes first). Until then, we're to help prepare his Kingdom by making a positive difference in the world through the gifts and talents he's given us.

When we serve, it's not about us. Let's instead put others first by speaking that special language of Jesus' love, truth and salvation.