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.