Love In Action

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

– 1 John 3:18

When asked by one of the Pharisees — a strict religious sect — to name the greatest of God’s laws, Jesus astounded his audience by the simplicity and clarity of his response:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment,” Jesus said. “And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

In just a few brief sentences, our Savior summarized a key biblical principle: That God’s love, translated into beneficial motivations and actions through our faith in Jesus Christ, is indeed an unstoppable, world-changing force.

It’s also a reminder that love is an action word. But that's a difficult concept for many because they equate it with that squishy term linked with weddings, chocolates, and Valentine’s Day. But Jesus wasn’t talking about some fleeting, awkward emotion. Instead, he's calling us to walk in step with him by putting our love into sincere, tangible action. And that can come in a wide variety of forms — everything from helping an elderly neighbor with their groceries to revealing God’s light to strangers through a prison ministry. It could also translate into changing a co-worker’s life by showing them how Jesus changed our own. The possibilities and potential are endless.

How does God put his love into action?

There’s the famous Bible story of the Prodigal Son, where the loving father welcomes back his wayward — and totally undeserving — child with open arms. And what about Jesus’ parable of the shepherd, who searched tirelessly for a single missing sheep? When he finally found it, he returned it triumphantly to the flock. Christ also told his disciples about a man who sold all his possessions to buy a field. But it wasn’t just any plot of land. Instead, it was one that held buried treasure. And while the cost to buy the field was staggering, the man did whatever it took to gain the precious prize.

Those are just a few illustrations of how God loves you and me. In fact, he’ll go to any length to bring us into his family. John 3:16, which is perhaps the most familiar passage in the Bible, tells us that God loves the world so much that he gave his only Son (Jesus) so that those who believe in him will have eternal life. God willingly let Christ suffer and die in our place to pay for our wrongdoings — past, present, and future. And while we deserve death because of how we’ve broken our Creator's laws, God’s love offers us his peace and joy. All that’s required is our faith in Jesus.

The limits of human vocabulary prevent us from fully conveying how God loves and cherishes his children. But perhaps it’s not that difficult. After all, it takes just three short words from 1 John to sum it up: God is Love.

Hope for the Best

No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

– Psalm 25:3

These days, anyone with a smartphone has easy access to websites full of offbeat news stories, celebrity gossip, and believe-it-or-not photos. But before the days of the internet, the infamous checkout line newspaper — The National Enquirer — was for millions of readers the go-to resource for such need-to-know content. And to close out each year, the tabloid published a special issue featuring predictions for the coming year as prophesied by America’s leading psychics.

Why was this annual issue always such a fan favorite? Let’s consider some of The Enquirer’s can’t-miss predictions from years past:

• Nuclear missiles will be used to break up a giant asteroid found to be hurtling toward Earth.
• O.J. Simpson will become a minister after confessing during testimony in a civil suit that he killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
• The King of Pop — Michael Jackson — will be trampled by an elephant and injured seriously while making a TV plug for an animal-protection organization.

NOTE: One Enquirer soothsayer did foresee a romance between Jackson and Elvis Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie. The couple married in 1994 and divorced two years later!

The National Enquirer’s predictions were fun to read, but their accuracy was almost always off the mark. On the other hand, the prophecies found throughout the Bible are remarkably precise. For example, God promised in the Old Testament’s Book of Amos that the Lebanese city of Tyre would be destroyed due to its harsh treatment of Israel. This seemed unlikely because of Tyre’s impregnable fortifications. However, the armies of Alexander the Great succeeded in leveling the city. God also promised to one day gather his scattered chosen people (the Jews) from around the globe. For centuries this made no sense because Israel had long been erased from the map. But in a miraculous series of events, the State of Israel was proclaimed shortly after World War II. And thousands of Jews soon ventured there from distant nations to claim citizenship from their ancestral homeland. 

J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy also lists more than 1,800 other promises from God through Scripture. No doubt the Creator’s greatest was fulfilled — again, as predicted centuries before the fact — through the birth of the world’s Savior in an obscure outpost of the Roman Empire. It was then that God came to Earth in the flesh to live among us in the person of Jesus. And the Bible’s prophecies don’t end there. It’s in the Old Testament’s Book of Daniel and the New Testament’s Book of Revelation that we can read about international events that are unfolding today before our eyes. 

In all fairness to The National Enquirer, some of their legitimate cover stories have scooped the so-called Mainstream Media. But its record is still dismal when compared with Scripture, which was inspired by our Creator, who — unlike the celebrity psychics — knows the future. 

What lies ahead for us in these uncertain times? We won’t find the answer in any tabloid newspaper. Instead, our ever-faithful source of hope is as close as the Bible.

Changed

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

– Galatians 2:20

The newfound faith of Jesus’ early disciples had transformed their lives for all to see. This odd group of people from all walks of life — rich and poor, male and female, slave and free — was quite unlike the rest of society. They somehow had grown more caring and generous toward both neighbors and strangers alike, and they willingly sacrificed their time and resources to ease pain and correct injustice. Ultimately, they had abandoned their old, selfish tendencies in favor of something much better.

In a word, these so-called Little Christs were changed. And soon, thousands of men and women would follow their example, believe in the Lord, and be added to their number. 

That says much about their faith in an obscure rabbi from a distant corner of the Roman Empire, who just happened to be God’s only Son. Few recognized it at the time. But because some did and believed in him, millions today lead changed lives to serve as his hands and feet across the globe.

Like their predecessors 2,000 years ago, modern-day Believers must forego their selfish deeds and desires in favor of following Christ’s example of righteousness. Moreover, they should recognize that Jesus the leader was also Jesus the follower. He spoke constantly with his Father (God) in prayer … and always sought his guidance:

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing,” explains our Savior, “because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

It’s a radical notion that’s just as life-changing today as it was back then. Likewise, it’s a concept that calls for personal action, commitment, and sacrifice. So, whether you’ve put your faith in Jesus for five years or 55, grasp every opportunity to become more like him, walk in his ways, and see the world through his eyes. What’s more, ask God to work through you with the Holy Spirit — that personal, loving Power, who makes it possible to leave your old self behind and become a new creation.

It’s change that makes a difference. And eventually, through the trials of life and the whispers of his leadings, we’ll become the people of faith that our Creator always dreamed we could be.

Saying Yes to God

“Don't be afraid!" Moses replied. "God has come only to test you, so that by obeying him you won't sin."

– Exodus 20:20

It’s said that the admonition “Fear not” appears in the Bible 365 times — one for each day of the year. However, it’s safe to say that most Believers are still afraid of one thing or another. And for many of them, it’s the prospect of saying yes to God.

One reason is that we too often think of the Lord as a friendly cosmic consultant rather than the all-knowing Creator who made us and wants only the best for us. Moreover, saying no to God is perhaps the most basic definition of sin. And mankind has been doing that since the very earliest days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

We know in our head and heart that God loves us. In fact, he loves us so much that he sent his only Son to die on the cross to pay for our many wrongdoings and failures. So, considering such an immense sacrifice on our behalf, why would anyone be afraid to say yes to Him?

One explanation is our innate tendency to play it safe. Fleeing from danger (real or perceived) is completely logical considering our drive for self-preservation. Likewise, we also might refuse God when he calls us to do something that’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. And that’s so often the case. Maybe it involves helping a neighbor who’s between jobs, driving a shut-in to the grocery store, or talking with a co-worker who’s approaching a spiritual crossroads. Taking that first step can be awkward, difficult — and sometimes scary.

But perhaps selfishness is the primary reason so many people are afraid to say yes to God. After all, agreeing with Him often means saying no to us. But be forewarned: When we turn our back to God, we should prepare for spiritual storminess and turmoil. Our Creator knows what he wants and how he wants to do it. Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised if we find ourselves in a much worse situation following our refusal. As the saying goes, we sometimes must feel the heat before we can see the light.

Are you afraid to answer God’s call? If so, you’re not alone … and he’d like to discuss it with you.

“But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart,” we read in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel. “Consider what great things he has done for you.”

2024 has just begun. Let’s make the most of the year’s opportunities by stepping out in faith and saying yes to God.