Love in Action
Open Your Bible
1 John 3:11-24, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, John 16:7-14, Romans 12:9
BY Rebecca Faires
The weather had just changed from Southern hot to cool in Tennessee. Ordinarily this would have filled my little country heart with the brisk optimism that comes from a change in season: the autumnal joys of dark blues skies, scarlet leaves, and bright fires. But last year, the cold weather had me thinking crazy thoughts about swimming squirrels. Just a year before, we had three squirrels go for a swim in our pool over a stretch of three days. Now fall weather unexpectedly conjures up images of bushy tails, all wet and wilted, and tiny paws carefully paddling in cold turquoise water.
We’re not sure what exactly possessed the squirrels to swim, but I think they did it for love. I hypothesize that each successive swimmer was trying to rescue its predecessor. I think it’s a love story about a family of squirrels who were willing to stand up (or, in this case, dive in) and look death in the face as a way of looking after each other: Fear not, Mother Squirrel! I’m coming in after you! I don’t know a lot about the internal motivation of the squirrel, but I know the drive to protect loved ones is strong, no matter who you are.
John learned about love from the Master. He got to spend years watching how Jesus loved people, and here is his conclusion: “Let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth” (1John 3:18). The love of Jesus is love in action. And this active love was not just limited to foot washing and lake fishing. “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (v.16).
Whew.
I don’t know about you, but the kind of love I’m willing to offer is this: I’ll help you move into your apartment, I’ll let you choose the restaurant, and I’ll include you, even though you’re not that funny—and that’s for my friends! But when Jesus died for us, we were still His enemies; “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). How much more then, should we lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters?
Love is hard. Real love means real sacrifice and compromise, and unpleasantness. Jesus is our example of love in action. He literally laid down His life for us.
This kind of love feels big. Most of us have experienced some great big feeling of love, so it seems like a natural step that we can grit our teeth and turn those feelings of love into huge, selfless actions of love. It’s sometimes possible for us to swing glorious acts and promises of love when we are at our very best, dressed in our finest, with our loved ones standing around sporting giant smiles. But we are also called upon to make good on those promises at three in the morning, when no one is watching and grand gestures are the last thing on our minds. No amount of effort is enough for me to love with the consistency, action, and sacrifice that I see in the life of Christ.
How can I follow Christ’s example? And how can I teach my children to love if I can’t even love them enough to make sure all six of them have clean teeth, let alone lay down my life for them day in and day out?
Here’s the element that changes everything: I am God’s child; He calls us His children. This means that when we love, no matter what time of day it is, we aren’t loving out of our own strength—we love in His strength. Christ’s example isn’t just an example; His love is also what enables us to love with action, because “he remains in us” (1John 3:24).
We were certainly created for love. And in our effort to show love, we will find ourselves laying down our lives for each other in some scary places, like jumping into a cold swimming pool or giving care to someone with no hope of reward. We can’t cut it in our own strength, but Christ’s call to love in action comes with a promise that He is with us, even to the very end.
77 thoughts on "Love in Action"
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Even until the end. Praise the Lord.
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Thank you, God, for your endless love. Jesus, you are so good. Spirit, be with me with every heartbeat ♥️
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What happened to the squirrels? Were they okay?
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I was wondering the same thing!
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Yesterday’s devotion talked about earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father. My human father and I had our ups and downs but he loved me greatly and it was from him that I got my greatest knowledge of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Bible. My boys father, after our divorce was not in their life much so the other older males (grandfathers and uncles) were more of fathers to them and my son will even say that.
Oh how Rebecca had me laughing at the beginning of her devotion as I envisioned those squirrels in her pool swimming and trying to save each other. During this season of every ones life with this pandemic going on I have seen and heard about so many people doing so much good. I wonder if some of it would be done if we were in our normal lives. The family I work with, one of the other daughters works for Papa Murphy’s and many people when they pick up their pizzas are giving her and her coworkers larger than normal tips. The staff have to take the pizzas out to the car to them. Rebecca went on to say, “We were certainly created for love.” and right now I am seeing that so much more. Have a blessed day my sisters and try to stay happy. -
This was super convicting for me today. I feel like it’s easy to swing between pride when I feel like I’m doing a good job at loving others, or complete discouragement when the task seems too hard and overwhelming. In both cases, the problem is my focus is on myself, not on Christ, his glory, power and strength. And it’s also easy to love others in sacrificial ways and then have the expectation that others will do the same for me in return. The Lord has reminded me to love others for the sake of his pleasure. To let my love for others be an offering of thanks to him for his grace towards me. Of course, I still want to love others to meet their needs and support them, but focusing on serving Jesus in my love for others has helped me be less begrudging and more grace-filled.
The words of this Puritan prayer has helped me this morning: “O Lover of the loveless, it is thy will that I should love thee with heart, soul, mind and strength, and my neighbour as myself. But I am not sufficient for these things…I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art, until thou dost set me free…with this freedom I would always obey thee, but I cannot walk in liberty, anymore than I could first attain it, of myself. May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee and thy ways. Thou art the end of all means, for if they lead me not to thee, I go away empty…Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus; give me his benevolent temper, his beneficent actions, that I may shine before men to thy glory. The more thou doest in love in me and by me, humble me the more; keep me meek, lowly, and always ready to give thee honour. Amen.”
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Kat, I am so grateful for the perspective you shared! “Let my love for others be an offering of thanks to Him for His grace towards me.” This was so encouraging and challenging to me.
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I pray for god to use his love for me to love others because I feel convicted of this ..
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I pray that God would give me the strength to love those around me. I think one of the main ways we can love those around us is by meeting their needs. I thank God that I don’t need to muster up the energy to love out of my own strength. He gives me the strength to love those around me.
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“No amount of effort is enough for me to love with the consistency, action, and sacrifice that I see in the life of Christ” – this is such a good reminder! These calls to lay down our life for our friends, family, neighbors, strangers, and even enemies are not calls to be superhuman, but to call upon the name of the superhuman/supernatural One who lives within us! He will put our hands and feet in motion as we abide in him in ways we would not otherwise have the strength, patience, or willingness to do!
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Yes! I love the way you put this Sarah. It’s easy to make it about us and our efforts, and not rely on the strength Christ supplies. But as we abide in Him he enables us to live beyond ourselves and do what we couldn’t on our own. Thanks be to God!
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I love how you said this Sarah !
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