Active Love

(Dedicated to my dear friend Peggy, who is a great example in this to me.)

When our children were small I tried to impress upon them that the best way to tell someone they loved them was not with the three little words, "I love you," but with the four little words, "How can I help?"

Love that is not active can never be true love.  True love seeks to bless, to encourage, to strengthen and to help others.  If a person can sit by and watch others work hard, and never even offer to help, that portrays a great deal of self-absorption and lack of true love to others.

The love the Lord has for us is very active, not passive.  He worked in paying the penalty for our sins, He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, He works to ever make "intercession for us."  

True love and caring produces actions.

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind;

charity envieth not;

charity vaunteth not itself,

is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly,

seeketh not her own,

is not easily provoked,

thinketh no evil,

Rejoiceth not in iniquity,

but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things,

believeth all things,

hopeth all things,

endureth all things

Charity never faileth:"

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

There is not a person in this world whom the Lord does not love.  That is one reason why we so often close our chapel services with the song, "Jesus Loves Me."  Every tongue can sing that song truthfully, because He does indeed love everyone.

"For God so loved the world, 

that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whosoever believeth in Him 

should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

 John 3:16

Remembering this, let us choose to live our lives with love toward everyone we encounter.  This means we will be kind and patient with them.  It means we will not envy something they have which we don't.  It means we won't be proud or arrogant.  It means we will behave in a way which will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.  It means we will not look toward what we want, but will rather seek to satisfy the needs of others.  It means we will not be happy when evil things happen, but will have joy in the Lord.  It means we will peaceably be a burden-bearer.    We will be those who encourage others, we will offer hope and we will do so with all patience.

May we be active in our love and may that love spread to everyone whom the Lord places in our paths.