Love Is Something You Do

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 (NIV)

Love not only has good intentions, but real love is intentional.  When we believe the lie that love is just a feeling, we’re deceived into thinking that love is a reaction.  The truth is, love is more than a reaction; love takes initiative. Perhaps the best-known verse in the bible demonstrates the action God took out of love for you and me.  John 3:16 (NV) says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall no perish but have eternal life.”  

It’s been said you can give without loving, but you can never love without giving!  For God so loved … that He gave!  He gave the greatest gift He could give to demonstrate His love – His one and only Son! God did so much more than just say He loved you and me.  Talk is cheap! He took the initiative.  Love always takes action!  Our smallest action is greater than our best intention!  I wish I could be judged based on my good intentions.  I have many good intentions, but those intentions are meaningless until I take action.  It’s not just what you intend to do, but what you do that demonstrates real love. 

Witnessing God’s love in action must have been what motivated John to later write this to fellow Christ followers: “Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.”  (1 John 3:18, TLB).

If you’ve found that your good intentions lack loving action, I want to challenge you to be intentional this week and look for ways to show acts of love, selfless love.  It could be as simple as purchasing the meal of the car behind you at the drive-thru, checking on an elderly neighbor, and changing a light bulb or mowing a lawn.  Ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities before you to demonstrate His love.  One act of love can make a world of difference! 

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To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.